Switzerland: 128 wolves dead in 25 years
New figures show: More than 1 in 7 dead wolves found is a victim of poaching.
54 legally shot, 11 poached
Over the past 25 years, in Switzerland 128 wolves have been found dead.
54 were legally shot, 38 died in road traffic and 11 were poached.
Thus, just under half of the wolves (42 percent) were legally shot, as the Federal Office for the Environment stated upon request. It thereby confirmed a report by SRF’s «Rundschau». The Federal Office referred to research by the University of Bern, which examined the causes of death of the 128 dead wolves.
Attempted poaching in eight further cases
In addition to the eleven poached wolves, attempted poaching was identified in eight cases: In five legally shot predators and in three wolves killed by vehicles, investigations revealed traces of ammunition from illegal shooting.
Further causes of death
Furthermore, since the start of evaluations in 1998, four wolves died in falls, three drowned, two were caught in an avalanche, two died in fights with other wolves, and in six animals the cause of death remains unclear.
Dossier: Wolf in Switzerland: Facts, politics and the limits of hunting
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