A wolf has killed three alpacas in canton Thurgau, northeastern Switzerland. The canton is considering issuing a licence to shoot the wolf, saying the legal requirements for this have been met.
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Keystone-SDA
Two alpacas were killed in Dussnang by an animal early on Thursday morning, while a third had to be euthanised due to its injuries, canton Thurgau wrote in a statement on Friday.
Analysis of the bite marks indicated that there was a high probability that the predator had been a wolf. Employees of the Thurgau hunting and fishing administration had secured DNA samples in an attempt to identify the individual animal. Roman Kistler, head of the hunting and fishing administration, told the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA that it was assumed to have been a single predator.
The alpacas had been in a pasture fenced with wires, Kistler said. Farm animal owners were advised to take appropriate measures to protect their livestock.
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Alpacas in the Alps
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In autumn, it’s common in Switzerland to see herds of cattle decorated with bells and flowers being led down from the mountains to their winter stables. But these days, you might rub your eyes – surely those aren’t cows marching down into the valley? No indeed: around 400 Swiss farmers now keep llamas or alpacas…
Livestock owners in neighbouring canton Zurich were also informed of the situation on Thursday via an SMS alert.
Three different wolves have been detected in canton Thurgau since 2017. Two left the cantonal territory after a short time, while the third wolf was killed in February 2020 due to severe illness. A presumed fourth animal in May 2022 could not be genetically confirmed, according to the press release.
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Wolves in Switzerland: more numerous but less deadly in 2023
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The number of wolves in Switzerland has risen from around 240 to 300 in the space of a year – but the predator killed fewer farm animals.
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