Environment

Forest walks: you are obliged to keep your dog on a leash until June 30

Publié le 17 avril 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

As is the case every year, as of April 15, dog owners are required not to detach their animals outside the forest pathways. The aim is to preserve wildlife during this period, when mammals begin calving and birds nest.

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Image 1Crédits: alexei_tm stock.adobe.com

Throughout the year, you should keep your dogs under surveillance during your forest walks; they should not be more than 100 meters away from you. Between April 15 and June 30, the regulations are stricter: you must keep your dogs on a leash when you are outside a forest lane. The following are considered to be forest paths:

  • roads;
  • paths;
  • forest trails (long hiking or GR trails, walking paths...).

This rule is intended to:

  • prevent your dogs from attacking birds or other animal species;
  • to encourage the restocking of this wildlife.

Thanks to their highly developed flair, dogs can easily spot newborn babies in the forest as well as birds that nest on the ground in open spaces. Their mere presence can disturb and stress particularly sensitive forest animals during this period when mammals are starting to give birth, and dogs would then jeopardize the reproduction of some of this wildlife.

Please note

If you do not comply with these regulations, you can be fined up to €750.

FYI  

While walking in the forest, you should not feed or approach wildlife in the forest. You just have to observe them in their natural habitat, without disturbing them. By not following these recommendations, you could change their behavior and lead to a change in their wild instincts. Also, if you touch a young animal, its mother could abandon it, disturbed by the human smell.

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