Wrong wolves shot – wolf advocates now demand consequences

At least three wolves shot incorrectly

The Vaud cantonal wildlife rangers mistakenly shot the alpha wolf of a pack instead of a juvenile during a management measure.

Gruppe Wolf Schweiz is now demanding consequences, following similar erroneous cullings that had already occurred in other cantons.

The canton of Vaud confirmed that at the end of November the alpha wolf of the Marchairuz pack was mistakenly shot. In October, in the canton of Graubünden, instead of a juvenile wolf from the Moesa pack, the alpha male was killed. In March, a wolf that had not been approved for culling was shot in Valais.

These erroneous cullings are unlawful because animals other than those approved for shooting were killed, the organisation writes. It is considering legal action and is calling for a moratorium on wolf cullings in the Jura arc. The shooting of alpha animals could lead to the break-up of packs. Hobby hunting fails as population control.

"Wolf population in the Jura at risk"

According to Gruppe Wolf Schweiz, there are only two wolf packs in the entire Jura arc. In both packs, alpha animals were killed in autumn 2022.

The organisation criticises that this places the still vulnerable regional wolf population in the Jura in acute danger. It is calling for an immediate cross-border moratorium on management cullings. More on the topic of wolf protection and herd protection.

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