FOEN rejects wolf regulation in Graubünden
Federal Office for the Environment rejects application to regulate the Beverin pack.
The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has rejected the application by the canton of Graubünden dated September 11, 2020, regarding the regulation of the wolf pack «Beverin».
One killed donkey does not constitute “major damage”
The FOEN considers only the killing of the donkey on the Alp Durnan as an incident involving livestock that was reasonably protected. However, the FOEN concludes that a single donkey killed does not constitute “major damage” under federal hunting legislation, which would justify regulating the wolf as a protected species.
Canton is concerned
The authorities of the canton of Graubünden note with concern “that wolves are venturing into herds of cattle and horses as well”. The senseless regulation of the Beverin wolf pack in 2019 was hoped to have a deterrent effect on the remaining wolves of the Beverin pack.
According to IG Wild beim Wild, the events of 2020 unsurprisingly demonstrate that the implementation of the deterrence effect was a failure.
The ENEC-NC motion «Swiss wolf population – regulated coexistence between humans, predators, and livestock» is aimed in the required direction: strengthening herd protection and making regulations on culling more flexible. It is currently estimated that at least nine wolf packs are active throughout Switzerland.
Dossier: Wolf in Switzerland: Facts, Politics, and the Limits of Hunting
