Some wolf packs are being blamed for a higher frequency of livestock attacks.
Keystone / Marco Schmidt
Four wolves from increasingly problematic packs can be shot to deter the others from attacking farm livestock, the Swiss authorities said on Monday.
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Permission for the cull has been granted by the Swiss environment ministry following complaints that the two wolf packs were attacking a greater number of sheep and cattle.
The cantons of Vaud and Valais, both in southwest Switzerland, will each shoot two wolves from the respective packs that roam the regions. In addition to keeping pack numbers under control, it is hoped the cull will keep wolves away from farming areas in future.
Earlier this month, the Swiss Farmers’ Union pointed out a rise in the number of livestock attacks in both cantons, along with the southeastern canton Graubünden.
“It is becoming clear that the increasing number of wolves and wolf packs is endangering the Alpine economy,” the union argued. “Protective measures are on the one hand expensive and on the other not always effective.”
Wolves kill 300-500 sheep and goats per year, according to the KORA foundation, which monitors carnivores in Switzerland. It is forbidden to shoot wolves in Switzerland without first obtaining permission from the federal authorities.
Last September, voters rejected a proposal to grant cantons greater power to cull wolves that they deem problematic.
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The latest pack contains at least six pups, according to the Graubünden Hunting and Fishing Authority. The sighting adds to the 35-40 wolves in the canton, with some 80 believed to be roaming Switzerland. The first pack was sighted in 2012 in the Calanda region of Graubünden, signalling the return of breeding wolves to the…
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