The Disappointing Book Presentation by Marcel Züger

Book presentation «Mensch, Wolf» – or: When the highlight is the finger food.

Editorial team Wild beim Wild — 16 June 2025

Great ambitions had been set: The presentation of the book «Mensch, Wolf» by cactus biologist Marcel Züger was meant to be a grand occasion.

What did it turn out to be? More of a lukewarm Friday evening with the feel of mulled wine – only without the mulled wine.

Around 35 people wandered into the lecture hall of Somedia AG – among them roughly 15 wolf advocates, critics and other curious onlookers. The remaining seats stayed empty, much like many of the expectations that followed.

After a ritual round of flattery from the publishing house (understandably – what else were they going to say: “Sorry, that was a misstep”?), two speeches from the “political elite” followed. Council of States member Stefan Engler did his best to lull the audience with well-worn platitudes straight from the mothballed arsenal of wolf criticism. But what came next would have baffled even Kafka: The Landammann from Appenzell Innerrhoden recounted a childhood trauma involving Little Red Riding Hood – whether this was therapeutic for him or traumatic for the audience remains an open question.

Somedia eine Anlaufstelle für Verschwörungstheoretiker?

Particularly striking: A young person fled in a panic, a cloth held over their mouth. Whether it was the content or the air quality in the room, this could unfortunately not be determined afterwards. One can hardly blame them.

Gradually, a number of wolf opponents from the Surselva also left the hall – apparently the intellectual nourishment on offer was of a rather sectarian nature for all involved.

Then, finally, the “highlight” of the evening: Marcel Züger himself. The man who, by his own account, oscillates between botany and wildlife biology, stepped into the subject somewhat red-faced – and then, as is his habit, got stuck on his favourite topics: dangerous livestock protection fences, the wicked wolf and, remarkably, the wolf’s “tail” – rendered in archaic terminology. Zoologically accurate? No. But who needs expertise when you have opinions?

The promised question-and-answer session was cut short with a casual "Tonight is not the evening for polemical questions". One might call that prevention against uncontrolled thought processes.

During the aperitif, a representative of the wolf protection groups attempted to start a conversation. Züger smiled, said "in a moment", disappeared — and remained gone. Presumably the tail-wagging topic had been exhaustively covered as well.

Conclusion: An event typical of a recreational hunters' gathering, whose substantive depth was more apparent at the buffet. On the bright side: the potato chips were crispy.

Those who prefer facts over opinion are recommended to listen to the wolf podcast.

https://der-wolfspodcast.podigee.io/60-neue-episode/embed?context=website

or the fact sheets for the book «Mensch Wolf» by Marcel Züger.

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