emergencies
Serious hunting accidents: 18-year-old shot by companion
A man aims his rifle. (icon image) photo
© Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
Carrion crows and ducks may only be shot at certain times. Two serious accidents happened in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia at the weekend.
During a crow hunt, an 18-year-old is in Lower Saxony Dötlingen fatally injured. The young man hunted the birds together with a peer on Saturday morning, the police said. Both had a hunting license.
According to what is known so far, one fell into the field of fire of his acquaintance, was hit and fatally injured. The police have started investigations and seized the weapons used. At the moment everything points to a tragic hunting accident. The relatives were looked after by a volunteer crisis intervention team.
Whether crows may be hunted is regulated in the hunting laws of the individual federal states. Carrion crows may be shot in Lower Saxony between August 1st and February 20th. They are often attracted by dummies set up in fields that simulate crows looking for food. Hunting crows is pointless and should be rejected for ecological, nature conservation and ethical reasons, explains the Lower Saxony Nature Conservation Union (Nabu).
Duck hunting in North Rhine-Westphalia
There was also a serious incident in Lippstadt in North Rhine-Westphalia: During a private duck hunt on Saturday morning, a 53-year-old was hit in the head by a bullet and seriously injured. The man was flown to a hospital in a rescue helicopter, a police spokeswoman said.
The public prosecutor’s office has taken over the investigation and assumes a hunting accident. A spokesman said there was no evidence of an intentional act. It might have been a ricochet. The shooter was said to be an 83-year-old who also participated in the duck hunt. The “image” had previously reported on the incident.