What wolves in Switzerland feed on

Topping the menu at around 35 percent is the red deer, as reported by the Foundation for Predator Ecology and Wildlife Management (Kora).

Editorial Wild beim Wild — 13 June 2024

According to a new study, 83 percent of prey taken by wolves in Switzerland are wild animals.

Topping the menu at around 35 percent is the red deer, as reported by the Foundation for Predator Ecology and Wildlife Management (Kora).

This was followed by chamois at 20 percent and roe deer at 17.6 percent. In fourth place came sheep at 11.3 percent. Livestock as a whole accounted for 17 percent of wolves' diet.

A regional comparison shows that the dietary spectrum of wolves can also vary considerably within Switzerland. The diet of wolves in the cantons of Graubünden, Ticino and Glarus consists of red deer around 20 percent more frequently than in Valais, where chamois are consumed the most.

Regional differences still need to be investigated

According to Kora, how these regional differences arise is the subject of ongoing further research. The comparison is currently only being made between the regions where the most wolf samples were collected, namely Valais as well as Graubünden, Ticino and Glarus. Of the 35 packs nationwide according to Kora — including cross-border packs — 13 are based in Valais. A further 15 were living, as of 1 February 2024, in the cantons of Graubünden, Ticino and Glarus. The current pack population can be evaluated at the earliest in autumn.

The study examined the prey spectrum of wolves in Switzerland from 2017 to 2022 in a nationwide dietary analysis. The investigation was carried out on the basis of around 350 interpretable faecal samples from wolves, as was further stated.

The animal species identified in the samples had been consumed by wolves. This does not, however, necessarily mean that the wolf also killed them, as wolves also feed on carrion.

Dossier: Wolf in Switzerland: Facts, politics and the limits of hunting

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