There are five of them and none of them is more than three years old. Chula, Vito, Aliva, Kenya and Bimba visit Ibercaza for the first time, attracting the eyes of visitors and wasting no time distributing pampering and licking. They are five Bavarian dachshunds and hounds that work with one goal and come to Jaén to prove it: they are trackers. Its role in the environment and hunting is increasing, and highlighting this layer that spins the sector is one of the main posters that Ibercaza 2022 wears.
Emilio López, from the Spanish Blood Dog Association is blunt: «Leaving a badly injured animal in the bush is an aberration, it goes against any ethics and suffering must be eradicated». The job of their dogs is to track down, whether they are injured game pieces or other dogs of individuals that have been lost. “The hunting action does not end with the shot,” said López, who in the Andalusian association has 74 trackers who have recovered more than 10,000 animals in five years. They are called more and more and points out that the awareness of their involvement in the hunter’s environment and the environment is greater. “Being here is proof of them,” he stressed.
The Ifeja venue hosts the XIV Hunting and Fishing Fair until Sunday, an event that seeks to become the “epicenter of the world of hunting” and that recovers the rhythm lost after the pandemic, without being able to open its doors from 2019.
Those in charge of cutting the ribbon yesterday morning at the venue were the Minister of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco; The first vice president of the Diputación, Francisca Medina, accompanied by the deputy for Promotion and Tourism, Francisco Javier Lozano, in addition to the mayor of Jaén, Julio Millán, and the president of the Jaén Fairs Board of Directors, Africa Colomo.
The counselor ratified the Board’s commitment to hunting, a sector that is “powerful promoter of wealth and employment” in Andalusia, mainly in rural areas. He spoke of sustainable hunting as a sector that must be “regulated, ordered, subject to strict controls and, above all, recognized as it should be.”
Likewise, the first vice president of the Provincial Council, Francisca Medina, emphasized “the specific weight of hunting tourism, hunting and fishing in the province, with an economic impact of some 200 million euros.” “It is a very important activity for our towns, which represents an opportunity, both from a socioeconomic point of view, as well as from an environmental and tourist point of view,” he said, adding: “We want to show all visitors to this fair how much we our province offers, and in addition, in this edition of Ibercaza Degusta Jaén is also present, emphasizing recipes based on hunting and fishing products».
Similarly, the mayor of Jaén, Julio Millán, highlighted the importance of the sector as a key sector in the province, “not only because of the importance of hunting and fishing in Jaén, but also because of its economic impact and its cultural and for the development of the capital and the rest of towns and cities».
From Bilbao to Jaen
In fact, Ifeja expects to receive visitors and businessmen from all over the country. Friday morning was the first contact, according to José Gabriel from Ibérico Cerro Alto, who arrived from the Valle de los Pedroches in Córdoba. Sausage manufacturers, expect today, Saturday, as “key”. “This is the first year that we have come and we have recommended it by other colleagues, who have given the fair a very good reputation,” he said. The same was the opinion of Alain Baranda, who traveled the more than 700 kilometers from Bilbao to Jaén to be at an “essential” fair for the hunting sector. Distributor and importer of armory, his commercials were with Borchers other years in Ibercaza, and this year he himself appears. “You had to be here,” he assured.
Its customers are “very mixed”, young and old, seeking “quality” and knowledgeable. One of the big bets are the viewers, who have their own exhibition table and that arouses the interest of visitors, more passers-by than customers on opening Friday.
However, Ibercaza 2022 is also the fair for the environment and sustainability. Among the more than 60 companies and the 8,000 square meters of exhibition, animals, without a doubt, are the protagonists. Game birds, sniffer dogs or those trained to locate poisons used in illegal hunting are, among others, those that shine at the fair.
dogs and birds
In addition to the exhibition area, where throughout these days you show your skills, there are also rabbits, partridges, quail and pheasants. A wide range of samples that can be seen, touched, smelled and taken home. Although there are also those that need a more delicate approach, such as the El Batán falconry birds of prey, from Villanueva de la Reina.
Teresa Merino explains the benefits of sustainable hunting with these animals from the sky, where there is no shell remains or risk of missing the shot. Hawks and eagles, among others, spread their wings in Ibercaza while listening to how they are able to hit their prey without hesitation. “Falconry has been around for four thousand years,” she said, in a symbiosis of coexistence that makes hunters more and more aware.
“Falconry is not just hunting, it is also a method of therapy for children with mobility problems, for example,” he said, a close way of having the nature of the sky in one’s hand.
Contests and prizes
During the weekend, in addition to the options for purchasing hunting material, there are also activities such as the Ibercaza Jaén Cup for Andalusian hounds, Orito-Spanish and Maneto hounds, the Ibercaza Jaén Cup for Field Target, the Compak Sporting Cup for Wildlife, as well as of exhibition of dogs of Rastro de Sangre and Agility.
In the leisure and activities area there is an exhibition to practice Olympic shooting with a compressed air gun, virtual shooting, archery. Visitors will have the opportunity to hold a bow in their hands and shoot arrows to hit the target. Without forgetting the sample of naturalized taxidermy animals, with moments of the wild hunt captured in an instant dissected in real size.
Tomorrow, Sunday, at 7:00 p.m., one of the benchmark fairs in Andalusia will be concluded and it hopes to exceed all your expectations.
