Federal government maintains appeal against wolf culling
The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) is maintaining its appeal against a wolf culling permit in Valais — despite the fact that game wardens did not shoot any wolves before the legal deadline expired.
The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) is maintaining its appeal against a wolf culling permit in Valais — despite the fact that game wardens did not shoot any wolves before the legal deadline expired.
«The appeal remains valid,» the FOEN stated. Pro Natura and WWF, which have also filed appeals, are pursuing the same goal.
The conservation organisations are questioning the livestock protection measures that were applied. «The cullings should not have been authorised, because the protection was inadequate,» says Marie-Thérèse Sangra, WWF regional secretary for Lower Valais.
A question of livestock protection
«The problem of livestock protection must be solved. One shepherd implemented protective measures on an alp considered impossible to protect and suffered no losses,» said Sangra. Implementing protective measures is the foundation for the existence of the wolf in Switzerland.
Culling permit did not achieve its goal
Following attacks on sheep, the canton of Valais issued a permit on 7 September for the shooting of a wolf in the Val d'Anniviers region. However, no wolves could be killed within the 60-day deadline.
This is not the first time a culling permit in Valais has failed to achieve its goal. This was already the case in 2015 and 2016. «It also shows that shooting a wolf is not as straightforward as it might seem,» said Sangra. More on the hunting law.
