115 YEARS FOR THE SERBIAN HUNTERS ASSOCIATION

The Serbian Hunters Association celebrated 115 years of hunting and conservation at a ceremony held in Belgrade this November. This celebration further underlines the fact that hunting associations are amongst the oldest conservation NGOs in Europe. Last year, the Slovakian Hunters Association celebrated 90 years, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation were established over a century ago in 1908 and the Swedish Hunters Jägareförbundet has been active since 1830.

Serbia is today blessed with abundant wildlife, including many large carnivores, because of the involvement of hunters in conservation. The celebration was very well attended and included delegates from many of the surrounding countries as well as the CIC and FACE’s Angus Middleton. The entire event and the general ethos of the Serbian hunters can be summed up with the words of Vladislav Milojević President of the Varovnice Hunting Association, which itself is over 100 years old: “With their hard work and dedication, generations of hunters from Mladenovac have created a lasting asset for the benefit of the whole community.”

Hunters across Europe have always been intrinsically linked to their surrounding nature. They encompass an immense knowledge and experience of how best to manage its conservation, gained over the centuries. Their insights - built on experience - and efforts for the natural world are invaluable for our future and we must all do our best to share them.

For more information & photos, please see the Serbian Hunters' website.