Canton of Bern Orders Culling of Wolf F78
The Hunting Inspectorate of the Canton of Bern has ordered the culling of wolf F78 due to livestock kills. A controversial decision.
The Hunting Inspectorate of the Canton of Bern has ordered the culling of wolf F78.
36 livestock killed
The reason for this decision is the damage the wolf has caused to livestock. Under Article 9bis of the Hunting Ordinance, such damage is deemed to have occurred, among other things, when “at least 35 livestock are killed within four months within a wolf’s territory.” In the case of F78, the number was 36 animals.
The shooting permit is valid until the end of March 2021 and is issued exclusively to game wardens.
“Herd protection herd protection must improve”
All of the animals killed by F78 were fenced in, but the fencingmet herd protection requirements in only one case.
«Unfortunately, there is no alternative to a culling”, says Hunting Inspector Niklaus Blatter. He remains convinced, however, that coexistence between predators and humans is possible. “A situation like this must not be repeated. It is clear that herd protection now needs to improve significantly and sustainably.»
Wolf F78 first appeared in autumn 2020. In total, there were 29 incidents in which the wolf killed 32 animals; 20 had to be put down and four animals are considered missing.
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In the dossier Poaching and hunting crime in Switzerland we document cases, legal questions and recurring patterns. The scientific evidence is presented in the overview Studies on the Effects of Recreational Hunting.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
