Suspected wolf-dog hybrid shot in eastern Switzerland

A young wolf at the Zurich zoo. Keystone / Walter Bieri

A male animal was culled in the canton of Graubünden last week on suspicion of being a wolf-dog hybrid.

Information indicates that the canid had a lighter coloured coat than a wolf, the Graubünden cantonal Hunting and Fishing Office said on Friday. The result of the genetic analysis to confirm whether it was a hybrid is expected in May.

Its presence was first flagged last December near Domodossola in Italy from where it is believed to have migrated to the southern Swiss canton of Ticino and then made its way as far as the Rhine Valley in Graubünden. The age if the animal has not yet been confirmed. A DNA sample from the animal has been sent to the conservation biology laboratory of the University of Lausanne for analysis.

According to the Federal Hunting Act, suspected hybrids must be shot by the cantonal authorities if there are reasonable grounds for suspicion. The shooting of the animal in Graubünden was carried out in agreement with the Federal Office for the Environment.

No hybrid problem yet

For reasons of species protection, it is important that hybrid animals are killed so that they cannot reproduce, the Hunting and Fishing Office of the Canton of Graubünden pointed out. Otherwise, this could have long-term negative consequences for wolf populations.

In 2019, a study commissioned by the Federal Office for the Environment confirmed that wolf populations in Switzerland do not show signs of hybridisation with dogs. However, this is not the case in some neighbouring countries, notably Italy, where hybridisation is due to the presence of packs of stray dogs.

So far, there is no proof of the existence of wolf-dog hybrids in Switzerland. An animal suspected of being a wolf-dog hybrid was killed at the end of January in the Valais. However, DNA analysis showed that it was a genetically pure wolf.