Wolf hunted down after six-week chase
A hunter in south eastern Switzerland has killed a male wolf which slaughtered more than 100 animals. It was only the sixth wolf seen in Switzerland over the past few years.
The authorities in canton Graubünden said on Monday that the predator was killed by a huntsman with a clean shot. The man had official permission to hunt down the animal, which roamed a mountain valley on the border with Italy.
The wolf, a protected species in Switzerland, has attacked and killed more than 100 animals since April. Among the victims are 59 sheep, lambs, and goats, as well as five deer living in the Swiss part of the Bregaglia valley.
The Graubünden authorities opened the hunt for the wolf more than six weeks ago in line with rules laid down by the Federal Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape. The agency is running a research project for the conservation and management of carnivores, including wolves and lynx, in Switzerland.
The cantonal authorities can order the killing of a wolf if it has slaughtered more than 50 animals.
Controversy over wolf and lynx
Environmental groups and farmers, notably in cantons Valais and Graubünden, are at odds over this policy. Farmers, concerned about their livestock, want to be able to intervene as soon as possible. Wildlife conservationists, however, have criticised the current policy as trigger-happy.
According to official statistics, six wolves have been sighted in Switzerland over the past few years. But most of them were only found dead.
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