Wolf Massacre Switzerland: Complaint Against Five Cantons

CHWolf files supervisory complaint

The association CHWolf has filed a supervisory complaint against five cantons.

The wolf protection association hopes this will allow it to stop the shooting of wolves, as it announced. The shooting permits issued by the cantons are unlawful, the association argued.

The Federal Office for the Environment's approval for the shooting of wolves in the cantons of Graubünden, Valais, St. Gallen, Vaud and Ticino is not legally valid. This is because the FOEN has to date not published its approval order and failed to strip any potential appeals against the order of their suspensive effect.

Complaint with the Bern Convention

With the current shooting policy, the federal government is furthermore violating the will of the people and the Bern Convention, the wolf protection association continued. The wolf is a strictly protected species under the Bern Convention, which has been ratified by 46 European and other states. CHWolf had already filed a complaint with the Bern Convention at the beginning of December.

Federal Council temporarily brings the Hunting Act into force

On 1 November, the Federal Council had temporarily brought the first part of the amendment to the Hunting Act into force. This gave the cantons the opportunity to carry out “preventive regulatory culls” as early as December and January, provided they obtained the approval of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). The Geneva model demonstrates that professional wildlife management without hobby hunters is viable.

Dossier: Wolf in Switzerland: Facts, Politics and the Limits of Hunting