Wolf population is multiplying rapidly, says Swiss environment minister
Wolves are multiplying exponentially in Switzerland, so much so that in recent times their population has increased by about 30% each year. Without intervention, it will continue to grow to a greater extent, says environment minister Albert Rösti.
Rösti was in parliament on Monday to respond to three questions from Christian Democrats – Piero Marchesi, Monika Rüegger and Michael Graber – who were concerned about the rapid increase in packs and wolves in Switzerland.
Rösti, citing the latest available data on the subject, replied that 32 wolf packs had been identified in the country. In canton Valais alone there are ten packs and a total of 70 predators.
+ When it’s legal to shoot the wrong wolf
But according to the environment minister, what is most worrying is the fact that in 2019 the number of wolves was less than 100; in 2020 it was just over 100; a year later it had reached almost 150; last year it was around 240; and today it is over 300.
That is why the federal govenrment launched a fast-track consultation, which has not yet been concluded. In parliament, Rösti recalled that the government, at the request of the cantons, can authorise the preventive culling of these animals, but only if the wolf packs pose a threat.
The government’s objective, he added, is to protect the population and livestock and, at the same time, to preserve the wolf species. Rösti again emphasised that he had a lot of sympathy for the representatives of agriculture, who would like to see a rapid response after more than 1,500 fatal attacks on sheep, goats, cows, calves, horses, and other livestock.
But at the same time, said the minister, “my task is to ensure the preservation of the species [of wolves], based on the Bern Convention”.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.