How many wolves are there in Switzerland?

Of these, 32 packs live entirely within Switzerland, while eleven also use territory in neighbouring countries.

The total number of wolves is estimated at several hundred animals. After decades of extermination, Switzerland has thus rebuilt a significant wolf population – yet at the same time it is under massive political pressure to drastically reduce this population.

The return of the wolf: history since 1995

The wolf had been exterminated in Switzerland since the end of the 19th century. In 1995, a first animal migrated across the border from the Apennine Mountains: «M1», a young male, was confirmed in Valais – the first verified specimen in over 100 years. Initially, the animals remained lone wanderers. It was not until 2012 that Switzerland's first wolf pack since the extermination formed at the Calanda – the mountain massif between Grisons and St. Gallen. The Calanda pack became a pilot case: it lived in close proximity to settlements and alpine pastures and showed that humans and wolves can coexist under certain conditions. Herd protection programmes launched at the time significantly reduced livestock kills. Between 2012 and 2020, the population grew slowly. From 2021 onwards, growth accelerated sharply: the number of packs doubled within two years.

How are wolves counted in Switzerland? KORA's monitoring methods

The KORA foundation – Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management – is responsible for wolf monitoring in Switzerland. KORA operates a nationwide network of monitoring tools:

• Camera traps (wildlife cameras): Thousands of automatically triggered cameras in known wolf territories provide photographic evidence. Individual animals can be distinguished based on coat markings and physical features.
• DNA analyses: Faecal samples, urine and hair samples are genetically analysed at the University of Lausanne. Each wolf has a unique genetic profile that allows individual identification. This also records animals that do not appear on camera.
• Kill assessment reports: Every reported livestock kill is investigated by trained game wardens. Bite patterns, feeding behaviour and tracks allow conclusions to be drawn about the species responsible.
• Telemetry: Individual wolves are fitted with GPS collars to document home ranges, movement patterns and pack affiliation.
• Visual observations: Reports from farmers, hikers and professional hunters are systematically recorded and evaluated.

Since wolves ignore cantonal borders and have large home ranges, cross-border packs are counted proportionally in the statistics. The «Wolf in Switzerland» dossier shows the current distribution and pack map.

Current figures: packs, pups, cantonal distribution

In the 2025/26 monitoring year, KORA – Carnivore Ecology and Wildlife Management documented 43 confirmed wolf packs with a total of 148 observed pups. The highest wolf density is found in the Alpine cantons:

• Grisons: The canton with the most wolves, home to around a third of all packs. The Calanda pack and numerous successor populations have become established.
• Valais: Densely populated, but politically the most aggressive towards the wolf. The authorities regularly approve large-scale regulation measures.
• Ticino, Uri, Bern, Glarus: Growing wolf presence. Individual animals and new packs are spreading.
• Central Plateau and Jura: Lone wolves passing through, no established packs yet.

The Calanda pack: pioneer and role model

The Calanda pack is considered Switzerland’s most important wolf research project. It has lived on the mountain massif between Chur and the Rhine Valley since 2012. More than 1’500 sheep were grazed on the Calanda alp – with consistent herd protection, annual kills were reduced to fewer than 40 animals within five years. The pack showed that coexistence is possible when herd protection is consistently implemented from the outset. The «Herd Protection» dossier documents the details of this experience.

How many wolves have been killed?

In the 2024/25 regulation period, 92 wolves were shot pre-emptively before major damage had occurred – a new dimension of state-sanctioned wolf hunting. The FOEN had approved kills of around 125 animals. In the 2025/26 season, 89 wolves were killed according to SRF, with Grisons (35) and Valais (24) leading the tally. Following the 2024/25 regulation, the number of packs shrank from 41 to 36 – a decline that has alarmed nature conservation organisations.

Addendum October 2026: The figure of 89 wolves reflects the status as of March 2026 according to SRF. The final FOEN report of 18 May 2026 cites 77 wolves killed in the 2025/26 regulation period out of around 115 approved kills. In the 2025/26 monitoring year, 350 wolves were confirmed according to the FOEN.

Effects of regulation on pack structure

The killing of leading animals – the alpha pair of a pack – has far-reaching consequences. Without experienced leaders, packs lose their territoriality and can splinter into smaller, harder-to-control groups. Younger animals lacking social integration take greater risks and are more likely to attack unprotected livestock. Paradoxically, regulation can thus increase the very damage it is meant to prevent – an effect confirmed by researchers. The «Forest-Wildlife Conflict» dossier places this dynamic in a broader context.

The Bern Convention and the wolf's protected status

The wolf is protected in Europe under the 1979 Bern Convention – a legally binding international agreement ratified by Switzerland. At EU level, the wolf enjoys strict protection under the Habitats Directive (Annex IV). Kills are permitted only under strict conditions: when other reasonable solutions have been exhausted and when the favourable conservation status of the population remains ensured. With its regulation practice, Switzerland is operating at the very edge of what is permissible under international law. In November 2024, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention decided to downgrade the wolf's protected status – a politically motivated move that was sharply criticised by nature conservation organisations.

The political debate: Regazzi, Rösti and wolf policy

In Swiss wolf policy, two camps are opposed. Federal Councillor Albert Rösti (SVP, DETEC) stands for a generous regulatory practice and has helped shape the legal basis for preventive kills. Centre National Councillor Fabio Regazzi also advocates for easier kills and represents the agricultural lobby. On the other side are organisations such as Gruppe Wolf Schweiz, Pro Natura and WWF, which rely on herd protection and criticise the regulatory practice as incompatible with the wolf's protected status. Federal Supreme Court rulings overturned individual kill orders in 2025, thereby setting clear legal limits.

Does regulation endanger the wolf population?

The FOEN emphasises that the population must not be endangered. However, nature conservation organisations point out that the approval practice is becoming increasingly generous, undermining the goal of a stable population. If 89 to 92 animals are shot annually while only 148 pups are documented at the same time, the reproduction rate is barely sufficient to compensate for losses. Poaching and traffic accidents add further mortality factors. The question is not how many wolves there are today – but how many there will still be in ten years if the current practice continues.

Further content on wildbeimwild.com

• Dossier: Wolf in Switzerland
• Dossier: Herd Protection
• Dossier: Forest-Wildlife Conflict
• Dossier: Hunting Myths
• Dossier: Swiss Hunting Law
• Dossier: The lynx in Switzerland

You can find more background on current hunting policy in Switzerland in our dossier on wildbeimwild.com.