SVP Grand Councillor and Hobby Hunter Roger Schuwey Can Breathe Easy

In the case surrounding the poisoning death of the wolf F-13 in the canton of Fribourg, the proceedings against SVP Grand Councillor Roger Schuwey have been definitively dropped.

The public prosecutor's office has closed the dossier.

Schuwey will receive compensation of 3’000 francs as satisfaction, along with reimbursement of expenses. However, the SVP politician was convicted of violating the weapons act and given a suspended fine. This relates to irregularities in the importation of a firearm. Both decisions by the public prosecutor's office can still be appealed.

In the case of the poisoned wolf, Schuwey consistently maintained his innocence. Schuwey lives near the location where the dead wolf F-13 was found in 2017. Nearby, further dead animals were discovered, including six foxes and a red kite.

No Connection Found

Police also found poison during a house search at Schuwey's property. However, it turned out that this poison showed no connection to the traces of poison found on the dead animal carcass.

Background: Animal Cruelty and Dead Foxes

Schuwey had previously come into contact with the Fribourg justice system due to his hunting practices. A case in 2013 involved three foxes he had shot from his hotel. Instead of bringing the animals to the carcass collection point, he placed them in a rubbish bag. One of the animals was still breathing.

The Gruyère Police Court ruled in a second case in 2015 that it was proven that Schuwey had caused a chamois to suffer unnecessarily during a hobby hunting outing. The defendant had wounded the animal with two shots, while a third shot missed the target. The hobby hunter waited forty minutes before firing a fourth shot at the animal.

But the fourth shot was also unsuccessful. The hobby hunter eventually pursued the animal on foot, grabbed it by the horns, and killed it with a handgun. A game warden observed all of this from a distance of around 400 metres – and filmed some scenes with his mobile phone camera. More on Crime and hobby hunting.