Why armed shepherds are the wrong approach

The use of firearms in the steep, difficult terrain of the Alps is dangerous.

Shepherds are primarily livestock keepers, not trained wildlife rangers or police officers. A weapon increases the risk of accidental shots, accidents and misunderstandings – for humans, dogs and wildlife alike.

Experiences from France show that defensive shootings barely reduce the number of wolf attacks on livestock. Wolves are adaptable, and individual shootings do not address the underlying problem. What remains truly effective is a well-combined herd protection system consisting of shepherding, dogs, fences and adapted pasture management.

If shepherds are permitted to take up arms themselves, this undermines the protected status of the wolf. The wolf is a species protected under international law. A de facto “right to shoot” weakens this protection and can destroy public trust in state regulation.

Armed shepherds send a dangerous signal: instead of resolving conflicts through prevention, planning and coordination, the response becomes one of confrontation. This fuels polarization and can further intensify the societal conflict over the wolf.

The call for weapons is an expression of frustration, but not a sustainable concept. Herd protection, prevention, professional wildlife rangers and fair compensation are more sensible and safer in the long term – and also compatible with species protection.

It must be taken into account that today the wolf has extensively colonized parts of the cantons of Valais and Grisons as well as the western Vaud Jura. In this situation, wolf populations regulate themselves through their territoriality: where one pack lives, no new one establishes itself. In the view of scientists, a leveling off of population growth can be expected there even without active regulation.

The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) intends to present a report in 2025 clarifying under what conditions armed shepherds would be legally and practically feasible. Key questions centre on training, liability, oversight and animal welfare .

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