How often do hunting accidents happen in France?
Two people were injured by stray bullets from hunters last week, as head of hunting federation says ‘zero risk’ hunting is not possible.
Since 2000, there have been 3,325 hunting accidents in France, of which 421 were fatal, figures from l'Office français de la biodiversité and la Fédération nationale de la chasse show.
This is equivalent to 158 accidents per year, with 20 deaths.
Since 2000, the number of accidents has gone down 40% and the number of deaths 70%, figures from L’Office français de la biodiversité show.
In nine out of 10 of cases, it is hunters themselves who were the victims of accidents, and in 30% of cases, accidents were self-inflicted.
Most accidents occurred during big game hunts, such as for wild boar.
These figures do not include incidents that have caused injury or death to domestic animals, or instances where bullets have entered homes or cars.
There are currently strict rules for hunters, which aim to reduce accidents.
These include a ban on bullets being fired at human-height or through bushes and hedges, towards roads, paths, residences, electric transport lines, and railway lines.
Guns must also be loaded and unloaded in a vehicle and can only be loaded before the hunter is about to shoot.
However, there are no laws around consuming alcohol during hunts, although if an accident does occur the hunter responsible may be asked to take a breathalyser test, and a positive result could be considered an aggravating factor.
