Participation campaign: An appeal for change in Switzerland

A few days ago, on the basis of a recently enacted amendment to the law, the killing of numerous wolves in Switzerland was authorised.

Wolves, however, are a “strictly protected species” under the Bern Convention, i.e. the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats – both agreements that Switzerland has also ratified. The killing now authorised undermines these agreements and thereby the protection of wolves. Moreover, the decision to carry out the culling operation runs contrary to the outcome of a national referendum in 2020.

Orchestrated by Federal Councillor Albert Rösti (SVP), even hobby hunters are now to begin illegally massacring wolves, although the wolf is not included in hunting law as far as they are concerned. This task is in fact reserved solely for wildlife wardens.

Reputable nature and animal welfare organisations both at home and abroad sharply criticised the Federal Council's approach beforehand. A wave of lawsuits is now rolling towards Federal Councillor Albert Rösti, which will hopefully lead to his resignation. Such politicking by a Federal Councillor that disregards the will of the people is unworthy of a democracy.

IG Wild beim Wild recommends that everyone who regards democracy and the rule of law as an asset worth protecting should protest until Federal Councillor Albert Rösti resigns.

Federal Councillor Albert Rösti (SVP)

Federal Councillor Albert Rösti is not a good role model for the protection of biodiversity. Rather, he is a politician who arbitrarily sabotages years of work carried out for the benefit of biodiversity or the protection of the forest, thereby further dividing society in these already turbulent times. A waste of taxpayers' money like no other.

Since the appearance of the wolf, “only” around 5,000 sheep now die during the summer grazing season in the Swiss Alps. In the past, around 10,000 sheep perished miserably every year from falls, hunger, injuries, diseases and so on. Thanks to increased shepherding because of the wolf, thousands fewer animals now die each year. Although there are more and more wolves in Switzerland, the number of kills fell significantly in 2023 thanks to herd protection. In Grisons there were 50% fewer, and in the canton of Glarus even 80% fewer.

The wolf is not the monster that the anachronistic Federal Councillor Albert Rösti presents to us. According to a TV interview on Tele Zürich, he would most prefer to have no wolves at all in Switzerland any more.

Presumably Federal Councillor Albert Rösti himself has diffuse fears of the wolf. These should be treated and not acted out in an uncontrolled manner.

With his policy, Federal Councillor Albert Rösti is damaging Switzerland's reputation abroad: 221 environmental organisations from 6 continents call on the Swiss government: Stop the killing of wolves

What does hunting the wolf cost?

This year the Uri Security Directorate has already issued a kill order for a “wolf causing damage” twice – without success. This was confirmed by Security Director Dimitri Moretti during a question time in the cantonal council. There he also revealed that the hunt has so far cost 50,000 francs – compared with the 45,000 francs that the last kill in 2016 devoured. Now two thirds of the population in Switzerland are to be arbitrarily massacred. This can cause costs of well over 10 million francs.

Resources are thus being put into the time-consuming and costly wolf hunt rather than into sensible herd protection. A strategy that diametrically contradicts the coexistence of humans and animals.

Killing entire packs does not serve agriculture, because new wolves immediately move in and, without herd protection, cause damage again – perhaps even more.

Disproportionality

Every single day in Switzerland, people are attacked and bitten by dogs. On rare occasions, fatalities also occur. It is not only cyclists and hikers who are familiar with aggressive farm dogs. On average, eight accidents involving dogs each year are so severe that they result in a disability pension. Time and again, dogs that have escaped also kill livestock and wild animals. Are they next in line?

Because of the unqualified hobby hunters, several fatalities and hundreds of injuries also occur each year.

Switzerland ranks last in Europe when it comes to species protection. More than a third of species and half of all habitats are under threat. One reason for this is the far too high livestock populations, such as sheep, goats and others. Humans and their livestock, mostly kept under cruel conditions, stand in a ratio of 97% to 3% compared with all wild animals, according to a study. An unparalleled disproportion of biomass that should give us pause for thought. And Switzerland has placed the least amount of land under protection in percentage terms. Unfortunately, we also have what is probably the most heavily subsidised agriculture in the world, which results in us having one of the most intensive agricultural sectors of all. And we begrudge our wild animals everything.

This cannot go on.

For activists

I join in this criticism and will protest until the now-approved killing of wolves has been completely reversed, Federal Councillor Albert Rösti announces his resignation, and the wolf is protected in Switzerland from now on, without ifs or buts.

Template letter: Application for remission of federal and cantonal taxes on account of the recently approved killing of wolves in Switzerland:

Dossier: The wolf in Switzerland: facts, politics and the limits of hunting

Further articles

• Swiss meadows are losing biodiversity on a massive scale
• When sheep, cattle and co. occupy the space of wild animals
• Swiss animal welfare organisation criticises planned wolf killings as a threat to pack structures and herd protection
• Wolf incompetence rages in Grisons
• Val Fex: When the herd protection concept is more full of holes than the fence
• Killing instead of protection – Switzerland on the path to the silent extermination of the wolf
• Communication failure at the Grisons Office for Hunting and Fishing
• Illegal wolf hunting in Switzerland
• Wolf pups in Switzerland caught in the crossfire
• Switzerland sells the massacre of wolves as a success
• Sloppiness in the office of Katrin Schneeberger
• Grazing by livestock changes the soil, the plants and the insect populations
• The insane hunt for wolves in Switzerland
• The truth about sheep mortality in Switzerland: causes and statistics
• Wolf kills in Switzerland: concern over party politician Albert Rösti
• Let us stop the SVP's destructive frenzy
• Get involved: an appeal for change in Switzerland
• 200 environmental organisations from 6 continents call on the Swiss government: Stop the wolf cull
• Federal Council heavily criticised by wolf experts
• The consequences of Switzerland's controversial wolf management
• Wolf: Federal Councillor Rösti (SVP) circumvents law and order
• Es Burebüebli mahn i nit
• Are the BAFU and the hunting administrations still working seriously?
• Federal Councillor Albert Rösti tramples on the will of the people
• The consequences of Switzerland's controversial wolf management
• Too many sheep harm biodiversity
• Agricultural use destroys alpine meadows
• Kills despite herd protection — how is that possible?
• The rotten apple in the St. Gallen hunting administration
• Pro Natura calls for a comprehensive strategy for summer sheep grazing
• According to an Agridea study, herd protection with dogs works well
• Thanks to herd protection, wolves in Switzerland kill fewer livestock
• Farmers see fields as a disposal dump
• Biomass of wild animals
• Of sheep farmers and vague authorities
• The double standards of wolf opponents