Regensburg/Munich (dpa/lby) - The legal dispute over the killing of otters in the Upper Palatinate continues. The Bavarian Administrative Court has now allowed an appeal against a judgment by the Regensburg Administrative Court that prohibited pond operators from killing otters. This was announced by the government of the Upper Palatinate on Tuesday.
Otters are protected species. But in March 2020, the government of the Upper Palatinate issued special permits for the "removal of a maximum of two male otters each" in order to contain the damage to the fishing industry caused by otters in three pond systems that were particularly affected. After a lawsuit by the Federal Nature Conservation Agency, the Regensburg Administrative Court conceded the exemption because female otters and young animals could also fall into the traps. In addition, killed male otters could be replaced by non-native otters in a short time.
In coordination with the Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of the Environment and the government of the Upper Palatinate, the Bavarian State Attorney's Office applied to the VGH for an appeal. Now the process goes to the next instance.
