Swiss environment minister rejects criticism of wolf culling

In an interview, Swiss environment minister Albert Rösti said that over 30 wolves had been killed since December 1 in an effort to stem attacks on livestock. © Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

Since the introduction of the revised Hunting and Protection Ordinance in December 2023, some 32 wolves have been shot in Switzerland, said Swiss Environment Minister Albert Rösti in an interview with Tamedia published on Thursday.

Rösti said he had no regrets about authorising wolf hunting despite declining number of livestock attacked. “Although the numbers may have fallen slightly, it’s not good for mountain farming to suffer victims despite massive protective measures in place,” he told Tamedia. His job is to protect the population, added Rösti. “Those who are so misty-eyed that they don’t understand this simply have to put up with it.”

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Rösti did not want the fact that the courts have now put the wolf culls in cantons Valais and Graubünden on ice to be seen as chaos. “We have a separation of powers that works well,” he said. “In the case of wolf shooting, it has been decided that there should be a temporary halt to hunting in individual packs. We have to accept that.”

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