Template text: Herd protection instead of wolf kills
The management of the wolf in the canton of (………) should be consistently geared towards herd protection, prevention and objective information. Wolf kills must be restricted, as a last resort, to clearly defined exceptional cases.
1. Motion
The Cantonal Government is instructed to submit to the Cantonal Parliament a bill amending the Act on Hunting and Wildlife Protection (………) as well as the cantonal implementing provisions relating to federal law on the protection of predators (in particular the wolf). The aim is a cantonal wolf management approach that clearly prioritises herd protection and non-lethal measures and restricts the killing of wolves to narrowly defined exceptional cases.
The revision of the law and ordinance must in particular ensure that:
the canton enacts a binding wolf management plan, to be updated periodically, which:
is based on recognised wildlife-biological and ethological principles
establishes herd protection and prevention as the top priority
defines clear responsibilities and procedures in the event of conflict.
the canton systematically promotes herd protection measures in wolf territories and potential wolf territories, in particular through:
financial contributions towards animal-friendly, wolf-proof fencing and livestock guardian dogs
free or subsidised advice and planning for herd protection concepts
training and continuing education for livestock keepers as well as enforcement authorities.
the canton takes effective herd protection into account when granting compensation for livestock losses, namely through:
transparent criteria for determining when damage qualifies for compensation
incentives for establishing and consistently applying herd protection
no preferential treatment for operations that fail to implement adequate herd protection despite having reasonable means to do so.
the killing of wolves is only considered under the following cumulative conditions:
the legal requirements under federal law are met
the operation has herd protection measures in place that meet the current state of the art
non-lethal measures have been seriously examined and implemented
an independent expert assessment credibly confirms the necessity and proportionality of a kill.
that permits for the killing of wolves:
are limited to the strictly necessary number and to a tightly restricted period
are transparently justified and published in a suitable form
are, wherever possible, restricted to identified individuals or packs, in order to avoid indiscriminate interventions in the population.
that the canton conducts systematic data collection and reporting on wolf occurrences, livestock kills, herd protection measures and approved interventions, and makes this public annually.
that the canton actively pursues an objective information policy towards the public, in particular through:
educating the public about the biology and behaviour of the wolf
a realistic portrayal of risks and conflicts
avoiding and rejecting fear-mongering and enemy-image propaganda.
that the cantonal government sets out in its report:
what legal scope the canton has in implementing federal law on the wolf
how the proposed regulations concretely help to minimise conflict
what organisational and financial implications are to be expected for the canton.
The cantonal government shall ensure that the cantonal provisions are compatible with federal law, but do not undermine the federally mandated minimum protection of the wolf; instead, they should develop it further in the direction of modern, prevention-oriented predator management.
2. Brief rationale
The wolf is returning as a native species to the Swiss landscape. Its reintroduction is a consequence of changed legal frameworks and societal developments. However, it is being opposed by parts of the hunting and agricultural lobby through massive fear-based communication and political campaigns. The wolf is being deliberately instrumentalised as a scapegoat for structural problems in livestock farming and agriculture.
Experience from numerous regions across Europe actually shows that conflicts with the wolf escalate primarily where herd protection is neglected and political signals favour killing over prevention. Inadequately protected grazing animals in wolf territories are a foreseeable problem, not an inexplicable natural occurrence.
Instead of ever more demands for kill quotas and a de facto softening of protected status, what is needed is a clear, legally binding priority for herd protection and non-lethal measures. Only in this way can conflicts be sustainably defused without pushing a protected species back to the brink of extinction.
A cantonal wolf management plan, based on binding legal foundations, creates transparency and reliability for all those involved:
Livestock owners know under what conditions they will be supported and compensated
Enforcement authorities receive clear guidelines for decision-making
The public can understand how the wolf is being dealt with
The wolf will no longer be a plaything of short-term political campaigns.
In implementing federal law, the canton (………) has scope to shape its own approach to the wolf, as long as the minimum protection required under federal law is maintained. In particular, it can do considerably more in the areas of herd protection, transparency, data quality and information policy than merely implement the minimum federal requirements.
This motion does not call for the uncontrolled proliferation of wolves, but for a responsible, forward-looking approach to a protected species. Kills remain possible in exceptional cases, but as a last resort they are tied to strict conditions. The focus is on prevention, herd protection, factual information, and a move away from emotionalised hunting and anti-wolf propaganda.
Anyone who leaves grazing animals unprotected in wolf territory does not have a wolf problem, but a herd protection problem. Politics and administration must finally state this honestly and act accordingly.
