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Omrop Fryslân
NOS News•
The hunt for the stone marten in more than twenty meadow bird areas in Friesland has been halted. The judge has decided on an immediate ban because the Marter Foundation, Fauna4Life and the Animal Rights Foundation have filed a lawsuit against the province of Friesland. That lawsuit, in which a hunting ban is demanded, is due Thursday. But, the judge now reasons, that case no longer makes sense if all stone martens have been caught and killed in the meantime.
The province has previously granted an exemption to hunters to catch and kill a maximum of 429 stone martens in 21 ‘meadow bird core areas’ until June of this year. Although the marten is a protected species, it is also known to steal eggs from nests. In Friesland, the marten, of which there are thousands, is held partly responsible for the decline in the number of meadow birds.
Feeders for stone martens
The problem is not in the behavior of the marten, but in the way of farming, says Edo van Uchelen of the Marter Foundation at Omrop Fryslân. Farmers are increasingly setting up small areas of their land in such a way that meadow birds can go there, but they forget that they are also attractive to martens. “Those pieces of land are now feeding troughs for stone martens,” says Van Uchelen.
He believes that instead of those small pieces of land, there should be one large habitat for meadow birds where chicks can safely hatch and grow up. If you then demarcate areas with a ditch, you will not be bothered by the marten. “Stone martens hate water,” says Van Uchelen. “Then you don’t have to shoot it.”
Electric fence and underwater dam
Van Uchelen says that insufficient research has also been done into whether electric fences or underwater dams can stop the martens.
The Bond Friese VogelWachten sees the discussion with regret. “Research over a period of five years shows that killing stone martens leads to 28 percent more eggs and that there is therefore a 28 percent greater chance that chicks will grow into adults,” said Henk Minkes of the association. He says the plan to create a large habitat for meadow birds in Friesland is not realistic in the short term.
As far as Minkes is concerned, the judge may decide to catch and kill a maximum of 429 stone martens.
