Wolf cull halted: court protects pack

At the end of November, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) approved the requests from the cantons of Graubünden and Valais to preventively cull certain wolf populations.

With corresponding rulings, the departments responsible in the cantons authorised the culling by the cantonal wildlife wardens.

Against the two decisions of the FOEN, the nature conservation organisations Pro Natura, WWF Switzerland and BirdLife Switzerland filed complaints with the Federal Administrative Court (FAC) on 7 and 11 December 2023 respectively. Under Article 55 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), such complaints automatically have suspensive effect. The FOEN and the cantons concerned requested that the suspensive effect be withdrawn from the complaints.

Wolf culling is irreversible

In such requests, the court examines the prospects of success of a complaint. It then analyses whether there are sufficient grounds for withdrawing the suspensive effect. Finally, it carries out a weighing of interests and examines proportionality.

In the present case, the FAC establishes in its interim rulings that the positions of the parties do not yield a clear prognosis for the decision. The withdrawal of suspensive effect requires a serious disadvantage. In the canton of Graubünden, according to the available records, the wolf packs in question may not be specialised in preying on livestock if herd protection measures are in place. In the canton of Valais, a strengthening of herd protection measures could likely reduce the feared high number of livestock kills by 55 percent even without culling the wolves.

In turn, the court points out that the shooting would create a situation that could no longer be reversed.

In a balancing of interests and in consideration of proportionality, the Federal Administrative Court, upon summary review, finds that the interests in maintaining the suspensive effect outweigh those in favour of the shooting. It therefore rejects the requests of the FOEN and the cantons concerned.

Rösti dismissed concerns out of hand

Meanwhile, it has been established that Environment Minister Rösti overrode the concerns of the Federal Chancellery and the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) regarding the special wolf hunt. This is reported by the CH Media newspapers on Friday. They base their reporting on documents from the federal administration.

The documents show that Rösti was originally cautious in his approach to the wolf. The new rules were initially not intended to come into force before September 2024. Why things were suddenly pushed forward so rapidly remains unclear. Rösti's department has not commented on the research, citing, among other reasons, the fact that Rösti is currently on holiday.

Federal administration resisted

Also revealed is the fierce resistance that various departments within the federal government put up against Rösti's plans. A special report from June shows, for example, that Rösti's FOEN insisted on a minimum of 20 wolf packs, citing the Bern Convention, an international agreement for the protection of animals and plants. Rösti ultimately set the minimum at just 12 packs — despite the Federal Office of Justice also harbouring doubts about the legality of the measure.

Rösti's general secretariat took control from August onwards and accelerated the process, despite protests from various interest groups. Rösti himself dispensed with a formal consultation procedure, even though the Federal Chancellery considered it necessary.

This rush is now coming back to haunt him.

Dossier: Wolf in Switzerland: Facts, Politics and the Limits of Hunting

Get involved: Demand from your municipality, in light of the catastrophic policies of Federal Councillor Albert Rösti (SVP), a petition for remission of federal and cantonal taxes in connection with the recently approved wolf culls in Switzerland. You can download the template letter here: https://wildbeimwild.com/ein-appell-fuer-eine-veraenderung-in-der-schweiz/