Federal government approves shooting of twelve wolf packs
Published: Tuesday, Nov 28th 2023, 14:01
Updated At: Tuesday, Nov 28th 2023, 14:03
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The cantons can shoot a total of twelve wolf packs completely. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has approved corresponding applications from five cantons. Only one application from Ticino to remove the entire pack in the Onsernone Valley was rejected.
In the Onsernone Valley, there have been no wolf kills in protected situations in the past twelve months, the Federal Office explained in a press release on Tuesday. However, Ticino can shoot two thirds of the pack's young wolves.
The cantons can also do the same for five other packs (Val Colla, Carvina, Jatzhorn, Rügiul and Mont Tendre), according to the statement. Applications were submitted by Graubünden, Valais, Vaud, St. Gallen and Ticino.
The shootings are made possible by an amendment to the Hunting Ordinance, which came into force at the beginning of November. This allows wolves to be shot preventively from December 1 to January 31, i.e. before they have caused any damage.
Number of wolves growing strongly
According to the federal government, 32 wolf packs with a total of around 300 wolves currently roam Switzerland. In 2020, there were still eleven packs with a good 100 wolves.
The number of livestock killed rose from 446 in 2019 to 1480 last year. This is a particular problem for alpine farming with sheep and goats. However, the wolves also killed cattle, alpacas and once a donkey.
Only gamekeepers and specially trained hunters are allowed to hunt wolves. According to the Federal Office for the Environment, it is unlikely that all wolves will be killed by the end of January as approved by the federal government. However, it can be assumed that the growth of the wolf population - as intended by the Federal Council - will be slowed down considerably, according to the communiqué.
In the coming years, the cantons will intervene preventively in the wolf population from September to the end of January. According to the information provided, they will have to submit new applications each time.
Implementation likely to take years
Valais reacted immediately to the Federal Office's decision. State Councillor Frédéric Favre decided to order the culls immediately, the canton announced - less than an hour after the FOEN sent out its notification.
The plan in Valais is to cull seven of the 13 packs with around 34 animals - although the canton says that the project is likely to take years to implement.
On Tuesday, the canton of Graubünden also ordered all animals from the four wolf packs Stagias, Vorab, Beverin and Lenzerhorn to be killed. According to the Bafu permit, it can have a maximum of 44 wolves shot. That would be around a third of the roughly estimated population of 130 wolves in Graubünden. There are currently a total of twelve wolf packs in Graubünden.
St. Gallen authorized the shooting of the entire Calfeisental herd. This year, the pack killed 14 sheep in protected flocks.
Wolf conservationists see breach of law
The federal and cantonal plans had already met with criticism in wolf conservation circles in the run-up to the FOEN's decision. The plan is incompatible with the Bern Convention, the wolf conservation organizations CH Wolf and Avenir Loup Lynx Jura (Future Wolf Lynx Jura) announced last Friday.
The Bern Convention is a convention on the conservation of European wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Switzerland has signed this convention.
Fauna.vs, the Valais Society for Wildlife Biology, criticized the Federal Council's strategy on Tuesday. It was based on arbitrariness instead of science. The organization accused Environment Minister Albert Rösti of spreading the spectre of exponential growth in the wolf population. However, no biological phenomenon follows this law.
There is also no evidence that increased hunting pressure eliminates the "braver" animals and leaves the shyer ones, Fauna.vs wrote.
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