Misguided recreational hunting decimates chamois

There are fewer and fewer chamois.

Not only in Switzerland, but across the entire Alpine region, the population of the wild animal is declining, reported Radio SRF. Indeed, the federal hunting statistics for 2020 record just 90,000 chamois. Fifteen years ago, the figure was 97,000.

Stable populations on paper only

The development of chamois populations in Switzerland is probably the most thoroughly studied compared to other Alpine countries. In a long-term overview, chamois populations, as counted by the game wardens responsible in the individual cantons, appear to have been stable for 40 years. However, there are sometimes marked differences between cantons that cannot be attributed solely to differing methodology or data collection.

Hobby hunters shift blame onto recreational sports enthusiasts

The culprits for the chamois decline were quickly identified: mountain bikers, climbers, dog owners. Hobby hunter David Clavadetscher, the director of the militant association Jagd Schweiz, told Radio SRF: “The main problem for the chamois is the leisure society, which causes disturbances in summer and winter alike.»

A call to the Swiss Alpine Club SAC. A chamois adorns its logo. The mountain enthusiasts refuse to be saddled with the blame: “Recreational sports enthusiasts are certainly not the greatest threat to the nationwide chamois population”, says Philippe Wäger, the SAC’s head of environmental affairs. There is no evidence to support this claim.

The problem was homemade: Misguided recreational hunting

Indeed, it became clear as early as 2015 that the situation was more complex than thought. At a conference, cantonal hunting inspectors and federal experts discussed the development of the Swiss chamois population. One reason for the meeting was that hobby hunters were shooting significantly fewer chamois shot, the amount of prey killed had literally «collapsed,»collapsed

But the conference participants named the hobby hunt as the most important factor behind the declining chamois populations: excessive hunting pressure, lack of hunting planning foundations, and late adjustments to hunting plans. In short, the problem was homemade: too many chamois were shot, and the wrong ones at that, writes author Stefanie Hablützel in Zeit.de.

In the cantons of Valais and Ticino, as the conference report noted, the recreational hunters had used political pressure to prevent trophy hunting from being abolished. Instead of hunting according to wildlife biological criteria, bucks in their prime with the finest horns continued to be shot — precisely those animals that are important for efficient and energy-conserving reproduction.

In the Swiss National Park in the Engadin, hunting has not taken place for over 100 years, and the chamois population there has remained constant at around 1,350 animals since 1920.