Uproar over regulation

Young doe bitten by free-roaming dog

Scenes of a free-roaming dog biting a doe were filmed by a car driver in Tultschnig near Klagenfurt. A hunter then had to release the deer.(Bild: zVg)

The heated debate about the controversial dog leash requirement continues: Carinthian hunters are once again raising eyebrows with the latest dog attack on game. 

A free-roaming dog is said to have attacked a deer and bitten it to death in a meadow on the outskirts of the Wölfnitz district of Klagenfurt. The bites can be seen in a video that the Carinthian hunting association leaked to the "Krone" newspaper on Monday.

"The wild incident in Tultschnig was filmed by a passing driver on All Saints' Day. He alerted hunter Kurt Freimüller," explains hunting club chairman Alexander Mayrobnig. He rushed to help "to save the poor doe from her agony with a shot", explains the chairman of the Krumpendorf hunting club.

It is still completely unclear who owned the loose dog that had seriously injured the deer with its bite attack. "I filed a complaint with the police station in Krumpendorf against the as yet unknown dog owner," he continues. The police confirmed the complaint. "However, we have not yet found an owner," police spokesman Werner Pucher announced in response to an inquiry from "Krone".

Carinthian hunters are not satisfied with the regulation
Mayrobnig mentions the damage caused to the Krumpendorf hunting club: "500 to 700 euros. A doe gives birth to two fawns a year up to the age of eight, which can be hunted - this is the breeding value."

The Carinthian hunting community is once again using this incident to draw attention to the year-round dog leash requirement: "Just a few days after the new regulation came into force, this case is a dramatic example of how keeping dogs on a 'virtual' leash works!" they say.

This is no coincidence, but an example of how this "virtual" leash requirement does not work!

Bernhard Wadl, Jagdaufseher-Verband

What is a "virtual" dog leash?
The "virtual" leash allows dog owners to walk trained dogs without a physical leash, as long as they are under control and reliable at all times. This compromise was agreed upon because - shortly before the ordinance passed by the state came into force - there was extreme opposition to the demand that dogs be kept on leads all year round. The hunters are anything but happy with this: "It simply doesn't work with dogs running around freely where there is no master to be found far and wide!"

The hunters "want to document more poaching dogs in future and bring the relevant cases to the public's attention!", say those responsible. According to them, the case in Tultschnig is already the 92nd poaching incident in Carinthia caused by a dog since 2013. "This is confirmed by our wildlife database," the hunters emphasize.