Mute Swan Should Not Be Put on the Cull List
On this, both the National Council and the Council of States agree. However, the National Council has little interest in the maximum numbers for swans demanded by the upper chamber. Instead, it favors a solution similar to the one applied to the wolf.
If the Council of States had its way, the mute swan would in future be classified as a huntable species and maximum numbers would be set for certain areas.
The National Council, however, considers this to go too far. On Wednesday it amended a motion from the Council of States. The National Council is calling for a solution along the lines of what parliament decided for regulating the wolf population. The mute swan should therefore remain a protected species in principle. In cases of specific problems, cantons should be able to obtain a culling permit from the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
Feeding Attracts Animals
The SP and the Greens opposed the relaxation of protection. The current practice is tried and tested and successful, said Silva Semadeni (SP/GR) on behalf of the minority. Under normal circumstances, swans cause no problems. The main issue is well-intentioned feeding, which has a strong attraction effect. An amendment to thelegislation at the national level is not necessary.
Even today, cantons can submit a request to the federal authorities if they wish to regulate the swan population. However, they must first demonstrate that damage has occurred and that countermeasures have been taken. This is relatively burdensome, said committee spokesman Hans Grunder (BDP/BE).
The majority of the National Council now wishes to allow cantons to act proactively. The National Council approved the amended motion by 91 votes to 74, with 16 abstentions. The ball is now back in the Council of States' court.
No Natural Predators
The motion had been submitted by former Nidwalden CVP Council of States member Paul Niederberger. The mute swans had multiplied undisturbed due to a lack of natural predators and thanks to legal protection, he argued. In Nidwalden, the population had got out of hand. The animals had lost public sympathy because they fouled meadows and walking paths.
The threatening behavior of the swans could frighten walkers, cyclists, and children, said Grunder. Conflicts with farmers also arise, as cows refuse to eat the contaminated grass or fall ill from it. The mute swan — named after the black knob above its bill — is not originally native to Switzerland. According to FOEN, it was introduced into ornamental ponds in the 17th century. In Switzerland, according to Grunder, there are around 5,000 mute swans depending on the season.
Incomprehension among animal welfare advocates
Alliance Animale Suisse expressed outrage in a communiqué. The initiative of the large chamber was ethically and factually nonsensical. The Swiss Bird Protection SVS/BirdLife Switzerland also has no understanding for the proposal. The “facilitated interventions” in the swan population due to a local problem were unnecessary. Moderate measures against the swans in Nidwalden and Obwalden had already been approved and would begin in spring.
8.2.2016
The Federal Council and large sections of parliament want to ease the protection of the mute swan. Around 16’000 people are now opposing the plan with a petition.
In its white elegance, the mute swan appears majestic. Yet royal treatment is no longer guaranteed for this protected species. The former Nidwalden Council of States member Paul Niederberger (CVP) wants to lower the hurdles for regulating the population. Because it has no natural predators and is protected by law, the non-native mute swan has been able to reproduce “undisturbed,” according to Niederberger. “As a result, an excessive population has developed in some areas.” Hotspots include Lake Alpnach, Lake Sarnen, Lake Hallwil, and Lake Greifen. In such areas, the swan causes considerable damage to agricultural crops through its droppings, says Niederberger. Contaminated grass is no longer eaten by livestock and represents a potential source of disease.
The CVP politician did not stand for election in the autumn. His political legacy, however, continues to have an impact. After the Council of States referred Niederberger's motion in September, the National Council's Environment Committee (Urek) is expected to take up the matter the week after next — and, given the dominance of the SVP, FDP and CVP, will likely approve it. Extra-parliamentary opposition is now forming, however. Valais animal welfare advocate Mélanie Fellay, without informing the media, submitted at the end of January, together with severalanimal welfare organisations in Bern a petition with around 16’000 signatures, as the Tages-Anzeiger reports.
Criticism from the Vogelwarte Sempach
The controversy surrounding the mute swan comes as no surprise to the Swiss Animal Protection organisation (STS): many protected species have in recent years been declared “conflict species,” the STS writes in a letter to the members of the Urek. The federal government has in the meantime developed concepts for the wolf, lynx, bear and beaver that provide for measures against so-called harmful individual animals, up to and including regulatory interventions in the population. The demand for easier regulation of mute swans, the STS criticises, is therefore merely the next logical step in reducing the protection of as many wildlife species as possible.
Depending on the season, up to 5,000 swans live in Switzerland, of which 600 to 700 pairs nest in the country; the species is not considered endangered. Nevertheless, animal welfare advocate Fellay considers it “barbaric” to shoot the animals. Rather, it is up to humans to change their behaviour. “Swans must no longer be fed. This is the reason why the animals congregate at feeding sites and lose their shyness towards humans there,” says animal welfare advocate Fellay.
For Michael Schaad of the Vogelwarte Sempach as well, the first step towards resolving a conflict is to refrain from feeding on site. This would dissolve local concentrations. He too describes loosening the protection of the mute swan as unnecessary. Schaad also considers it an exaggeration to portray the mute swan as a danger to walkers, cyclists and children, as Niederberger does in his motion. People must keep a respectful distance from the mute swan. Like any wild animal, the mute swan will defend itself or its young when approached too closely.
Cantons also exert pressure
The cantons have also recognised the problem of feeding. Here and there, local bans exist. Nevertheless, pressure is coming from their ranks to ease the protection of mute swans. Currently, cantons are permitted to cull individual animals when this can prevent significant wildlife damage. However, a contestable administrative order must be issued for each intervention. Furthermore, if more than 10 percent of a local population is to be culled, the cantons must submit a regulation request to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). Cantonal specialists complain of considerable administrative burden. “We are interested in retaining sufficiently broad competencies in the management of wildlife species,” says Peter Ulmann, hunting and fisheries administrator of the Canton of Lucerne. The local population expects cantonal specialist offices to act promptly and with justifiable use of resources when problems arise.
Eliminating the right of appeal
The Federal Council also wants to ease the protection of mute swans. It is prepared to revise the Hunting Act in line with the Niederberger motion. How exactly remains unclear. The lead agency, the FOEN, is not yet willing to comment on this. Niederberger proposes proceeding in a manner similar to the regulation of the ibex and establishing a sensible population size for specific areas. “If the defined number is exceeded, the cantons should be free to regulate the population.” The proposal is noteworthy. Currently, mute swan culling orders issued by the FOEN are subject to appeal. If Niederberger’s proposal prevails, it is conceivable that management of mute swans would be governed by a dedicated ordinance — as is already the case for ibex. According to the FOEN, culls could thus no longer be appealed.
Obwalden and Nidwalden begin pricking eggs
However, another approach may also prevail: pricking eggs during the breeding season in spring. Last year, the FOEN approved corresponding applications from the cantons of Obwalden and Nidwalden. The two cantons intend to test the method this spring — with appropriate caution, as Cyrill Kesseli, hunting administrator of the Canton of Obwalden, explains: “It is clear that the intervention takes place at an early stage, when the development of the brood is still in its initial phase.”
Update 14.6.2016: Council of States approves shooting of swans
Update 3.3.2016:The protection of swans is to be relaxed in Switzerland.
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