Podcast episode: hunting in Grisons and wolf policy

In this episode, Wild beim Wild examines the 2026/27 hunting season in Grisons.

The focus is on contradictions in the hunting regulations and on political responsibility for proactive wolf regulation.

A recurring pattern emerges in the hunting rules: night vision and thermal imaging technology, drones and the baiting of hoofed game are prohibited in principle, yet as soon as more efficient kills are desired, exemptions appear. Thermal imaging technology is permitted for night-time wild boar hunting in the Mesolcina; for the fox, an equivalent ban on baiting sites is missing. The use of mobile phones while hunting was once clearly prohibited too, but is no longer regulated equally unambiguously in the current text of the ordinance. The claim to fairness towards wild animals is thus subject to reservations.

The episode also asks about the purpose of a form of hobby hunting whose former association leadership itself described the low hunt for fox, badger and hare as «not necessary, but justified». If ecological necessity is lacking, the question remains open as to whether the body of rules protects wild animals or above all organises a leisure interest.

The second focus is wolf regulation. For the period from 1 September 2026, the FOEN has authorised culls in twelve Grisons wolf packs; in four further packs they are possible once offspring have been confirmed. In addition, Grisons is applying for the complete removal of the Calderas pack – even though livestock kills up to the end of July had more than halved compared with the previous year.

Adrian Arquint, co-head of the Office for Hunting and Fisheries, justifies the interventions partly by pointing to falling numbers of livestock killed. The decline, however, had already begun before the new legal basis for pre-emptive kills came into force in December 2023. Arquint himself cites improved herd protection as a significant factor. At the same time, he says entire packs should not be wiped out, while his office is applying for the complete removal of the Calderas pack.

The episode also examines Arquint's dual role as a passionate hobby hunter and as a senior representative of the very authority that decides on wolf regulation. Conservation associations criticise the practice as a policy of extermination; the research commission of the Swiss National Park warned back in 2024 that the complete removal of packs is not scientifically justified. Across Switzerland, according to the ticker, the number of wolf packs rose from 35 to 40 despite 226 wolves being killed over three regulation periods.