A dog died in Wapse on Friday evening after being shot. The police are aware of the incident and are investigating.
A police spokesperson said they are in contact with both the shooter and the dog’s owner. No arrests have been made, police say.
Dog Benji had run ahead. Mother and son saw the taillights of a car and then heard two gunshots. According to the dog’s owner, Lotte van Leeuwen, a neighbor fired the shots. It would be an experienced hunter with a hunting license, she states in the newspaper.
The car drove on, after which Van Leeuwen and her son started looking for the dog. They found Benji dead in the ditch.
For a number of meadow areas in Drenthe, hunters have received an exemption from the province to shoot foxes at night. This is allowed in and three kilometers around the area. This is in the interest of protecting meadow birds.
The board of the Drenthe chapter of the Dutch Hunters’ Association says in a response to RTV Drenthe that it is a ‘very unpleasant incident’. They sympathize with the owner of the dog, but also with the hunter in question.
You don’t just become a hunter, Hunters Association explains. “Hunters are all well trained. You are checked annually by the police and you have to provide references who will vouch for you.”
Mayor Jouke Spoelstra of the municipality of Westerveld says he has been in contact with the police. And follows developments in the case closely.
