Campaign to Ban Marmot Hunting in France Amid Climate Concerns

Animal-rights activists, led by Pauline di Nicolantonio, president of the Association for Justice for Savoie Animals (AJAS), are organising protests and petitions to compel the French government to prohibit the hunting of Alpine marmots. Open season begins in September, shortly before the rodents enter a five- to six-month hibernation. AJAS seeks a nationwide ban comparable to Italy’s 1992 prohibition, arguing that the practice is “cruel, absurd and unpopular” and that hunting is driven by tradition rather than conservation need.

The Guardian

Scientists at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Lyon, including Christophe Bonenfant and Rébecca Garcia, report that climate-related stress is eroding marmot social stability. Females are producing fewer pups, and increased aggression is fragmenting family groups, leading to a steady population decline despite the species not being officially endangered. An average of about 1,000 marmots are shot annually in France, while the broader Alpine region shows signs of habitat loss as glaciers recede and rock faces fissure.

The Guardian

The National Hunters Federation maintains that marmot hunting is “strictly supervised and regulated,” with the open season limited to roughly one month. French agricultural representatives describe marmots as a nuisance that damages fields and machinery. AJAS argues that scientific data showing climate-driven declines should outweigh any perceived benefits of hunting.

The Guardian

• “What we are seeing is the breaking up of social groups, which are lasting less long, and more rapid changes of dominant animals in those groups,” — Getty Images Christophe Bonenfant

The Guardian

• “There is no justification for banning marmot hunting: the species is not threatened, there are no plans to classify it as a protected species and their numbers are on the rise.” — Di Nicolantonio, the president of the Association for Justice for Savoie Animals (AJAS)

The Guardian