Switzerland authorizes the shooting of twelve wolf packs

In Switzerland, there are 32 wolf packs. More than a third of them are now authorized to be shot. Animal rights activists are strongly criticizing this decision, and experts doubt that it will solve the problem.

Swiss Minister of the Environment, Albert Rösti, spoke frankly in early November: “If we don’t act quickly, the growth of the wolf population will continue, resulting in unbearable damage and the loss of entire breeding families of livestock.” Now, the time has come: Wolves can be killed preventively in Switzerland, including whole packs. Twelve out of the total of 32 wolf packs in the country have been authorized for shooting.

Nearly 1,500 livestock were killed by wolves in Switzerland in 2022. This is a heavy burden for farmers like Eliane Kreuzer in the canton of Valais, who lost 80 sheep in one summer. “It’s like a war, it’s terrible. They tear the windpipe apart, bite through the throat, or the jaw hangs down. There are injured or dead lambs everywhere. These are terrible images that you never forget.”

Criticism from experts

Christina Steiner, president of the animal welfare organization CH Wolf, also says that it is “not a pleasant sight when you come to the herd and see dead or injured animals. That is clear.” However, she criticizes the “sheer massacre of wolves” that is now programmed and doubts that shooting entire wolf packs would better protect livestock in the country.

Stable packs generally cause much less damage than individual wolves, especially young wolves that are inexperienced in hunting. These wolves rely on easy prey, which is a big problem. “If everyone has the feeling, ‘Wolves are being shot, so I don’t have to implement herd protection measures,’ then no alpine herder will start implementing herd protection.”

Number of livestock killings decreased by almost a third

Despite the increasing number of wolves in Switzerland, the number of livestock killed has decreased, thanks to improved herd protection measures using specially trained dogs and electric fences, according to the CH Wolf organization. “This year, we had 29% fewer kills in the whole of Switzerland due to better herd protection. In the canton of Graubünden, there were even 50% fewer kills this year. And in the canton of Glarus, there were over 85% fewer kills.”

Switzerland’s shooting policy is a violation of the Bern Convention – an international treaty for the protection of wild flora and fauna, according to animal welfare organizations. They have filed a complaint with the Council of Europe. Susanne Clauss from the organization Avenir Loup Lynx Jura believes that the hunting of wolves is mainly driven by the political interests of Switzerland’s Minister of the Environment, whose Swiss People’s Party (SVP) won the parliamentary elections at the end of October: “This is election politics for the right-conservative SVP to win the elections. We are shocked by such a decision, which in fact sets us back decades in terms of herd protection and coexistence with large predators in Switzerland.”

Young wolves take the place of packs

It is also questionable whether regulating the Swiss wolf population through the shooting of twelve packs is even possible. Apart from the fact that hunting wolves is very difficult, especially in winter, the eradication of a pack creates habitat for other wolves. Urs Büchler, president of the Swiss Game Wardens Association, explains: “Then it is possible that this area will be filled by young wolves looking for new territories. We have such wolves within Switzerland, but also outside of Switzerland. There are numerous records of wolves migrating from Germany, Italy, and France into Switzerland.”

There are also wolves that migrate from Switzerland to other countries, and the dynamics are very significant. The wildlife expert is certain that “the gaps created by the shootings will definitely be filled.”

Wolves do not care about national borders – sometimes they wander thousands of kilometers. Italian wolf researcher Luigi Boitani said on SRF television that the shootings currently taking place in Switzerland would have to be repeated every year.