Schleswig-Holstein finally bans hunting enclosures after decades of legal battles
Schleswig-Holstein has banned hunting within enclosures after a long legal battle. The Kiel state parliament amended the Nature Conservation Act to close a loophole exploited by landowners. One prominent family, the von Bismarcks, had continued hosting recreational hunts despite a 1999 prohibition on such practices.
The ban follows years of pressure from animal rights groups. PETA filed criminal charges against the von Bismarck family in November 2015 for operating two illegal hunting enclosures in Sachsenwald. These enclosures had been banned since 1999 due to ethical concerns and animal welfare violations.
The von Bismarcks were given a 15-year transition period to shut down the enclosures by October 2014. However, they ignored the deadline and kept the enclosures running for over a year beyond the cut-off date. This case is not isolated. Since 2014, PETA and other organisations have uncovered at least 12 illegal hunting enclosures across Germany. Five were found in Brandenburg, three in Saxony, two in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and one each in Lower Saxony and Bavaria. Vanessa Reithinger, PETA's wildlife expert, praised the new law. She argued that killing animals for entertainment no longer belongs in modern society.
The amended Nature Conservation Act now explicitly forbids all hunting enclosures in Schleswig-Holstein. The von Bismarck family can no longer legally host recreational hunts on their land. Animal welfare advocates see this as a clear step towards stricter enforcement of existing wildlife protections.
