Hobby sheep farmer unable to protect sheep flock from lynx
An article in the Berner Zeitung describes the dispute over an unusually behaving lynx in the canton of Bern, which has apparently killed several sheep on the Alp Tschingel.
While the lynx normally hunts wildlife, this individual displays aberrant behaviour by attacking livestock that have encroached upon its territory due to human activity.
The Bernese hunting inspectorate examined whether the animal could be shot, as it is a protected lynx. However, no shooting order has been issued so far, as the established criteria for a cull — at least 15 confirmed kills — have not yet been met. According to the hunting inspector, this lynx has shown unproblematic behaviour up to now.
Critics such as SVP National Councillor Thomas Knutti are calling for the immediate killing of the lynx on the grounds that it has caused damage, and accuse the authorities of inaction. Knutti is known for his inflammatory advocacy for the shooting of predators, most often targeting the wolf. It is a known fact that approximately 234’000 sheep are led to slaughter annually in Switzerland by people like SVP National Councillor Thomas Knutti. In 2024, over 86 million livestock were slaughtered in Switzerland.
The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) does not consider the conditions for a shooting order to be met, as the number of confirmed kills is too low. However, there is scope for exceptions that the cantons could invoke in justified cases.
For a kill to be officially recognised, it must be unambiguously attributed to the lynx. On the Alp Tschingel, the canton has confirmed 5 animals as such. Three carcasses were interfered with by griffon vultures and can therefore no longer be unambiguously attributed to the lynx; a further 3 are considered missing. It is understood that the number recognised by the FOEN is even lower than that of the canton of Bern. The canton is therefore far from reaching the required number of confirmed kills.
Overall, it remains unclear whether the lynx will be killed in the coming weeks during the hunt, as sheep owner Toni Michel had already completed the alpine descent with his animals at the beginning of June, and the wild animals have their habitat back.
The lynx was severely emaciated in spring — it had a harsh winter, that is all!
Further articles
- Swiss meadows are losing massive amounts of biodiversity
- When sheep, cattle and others occupy wildlife habitat
- Swiss animal protection criticizes planned wolf culls as a threat to pack structures and herd protection
- In Graubünden, wolf incompetence is raging
- Val Fex: When the herd protection concept is more full of holes than the fence
- Shooting instead of protection – Switzerland on the path to silent wolf extermination
- Communication failure at the Office for Hunting and Fishing Graubünden
- Illegal wolf hunting in Switzerland
- Wolf cubs in Switzerland under crossfire
- Switzerland sells massacre of wolves as a success
- Sloppiness in the office of Katrin Schneeberger
- Grazing by livestock alters the soil, plants and insect populations
- The insane hunt for wolves in Switzerland
- The truth about sheep mortality in Switzerland: causes and statistics
- Wolf culls in Switzerland: concern over party politician Albert Rösti
- Let us stop the SVP's destructive rage
- Participatory campaign: An appeal for change in Switzerland
- 200 environmental organizations from 6 continents call on the Swiss government: Stop the wolf cull
- Federal Council strongly criticized by wolf experts
- The consequences of controversial wolf management in Switzerland
- Wolf: Federal Councillor Rösti (SVP) circumvents law and order
- Es Burebüebli mahn i nit
- Are BAFU and the hunting authorities still working responsibly?
- Federal Councillor Albert Rösti tramples the will of the people underfoot
- The consequences of controversial wolf management in Switzerland
- Too many sheep harm biodiversity
- Agricultural use destroys alpine meadows
- Kills despite herd protection — how is that possible?
- The rotten apple in the St. Gallen hunting administration
- Pro Natura calls for a comprehensive strategy for summer sheep grazing
- According to the Agridea study, herd protection with dogs works well
- Thanks to herd protection, wolves in Switzerland kill fewer livestock
- Farmers treat fields as a disposal dump
- Biomass of wild animals
- On sheep farmers and diffuse authorities
- The double standards of wolf opponents
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In our dossiers on recreational hunting gather fact-checks, analyses and background reports. The scientific evidence is presented in the overview Studies on the Effects of Recreational Hunting.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
