After a slump in snowy 2018, the number of ibex has increased again and 2020 saw “a record since their extinction in Switzerland”, according to the Federal Office for the Environment.
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The Alpine ibex, a wild mountain goat, was re-introduced to national parks in the 1920s after it was hunted to extinction in the 19th century. Last year there were 18,947 ibex in the country, according to annual hunting statisticsExternal link published on Monday. The government described this as a “success story”.
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In the thrall of the mountain king
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Once extinct in Switzerland, the ibex is back. Thousands of the surefooted creatures now live in the Swiss Alps.
While the numbers of ibex, wild boar and red deer continued to grow, those of roe deer and chamois remained stable, the environment office said.
“Less pleasing”, however, was the high number of foxes found dead from disease, old age and weakness – the second-highest number since measurements began in 1968. Mange and distemper were rampant in certain regions of Switzerland, it explained.
Last year 76,695 wild hoofed animals were killed in Switzerland, which corresponded to the five-year average. The hunting year for 2020 ran from the beginning of April 2020 to the end of March 2021 in most cantons.
The number of wild boar shot deadincreased to 8,313 in 2020 – almost double the 4,263 boar killed in 2011. The latest hunting statistics also recorded that 13,935 red deer were killed in 2020, up from 9,462 ten years ago.
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Are hunters an endangered species in Switzerland?
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The Cyber-Defence Campus of the Swiss defence ministry has found two vulnerabilities in the collision warning system for civil aviation.
Swiss parents rely on savings accounts for their children instead of investment funds
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According to the survey, over 60% of parents start saving in the first year of life, and around 10% even before the child is born.
Half the Swiss army’s M113 armoured vehicles rehabilitated
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Half of the Swiss army's 248 M113 grenadier armoured vehicles are back on the road after being temporarily decommisioned.
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Local parliamentarians in Zurich will not receive a pay hike after 53.2% of voters in the city came out against the plan on Sunday.
Minimum wage narrowly rejected in canton Basel Country
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The Unia trade union initiative had called for a minimum wage of CHF22 ($24.20) per hour for all employees working in the canton.
Bernese voters accept counter-proposal to solar initiative
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In the Swiss canton of Bern, there will still be no solar obligation for roof renovations in the future, but there will be one for large car parks.
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