Wolf in the Bernese Oberland to be hazed

Since 11 October 2020, a wolf has been roaming the greater Gantrisch region and has so far killed 17 sheep and injured others.

The most recent kills occurred on the night of 4 November 2020 in the municipality of Niedermuhlern. The sheep were unprotected, as in all other cases in the region beforehand. Based on the known modus operandi, the hunting inspectorate is clearly attributing the kills to a wolf. The hunting inspectorate assumes it is a lone animal; there are no indications of a pack.

Wolves in the canton of Bern since 2006

The wolf was first conclusively documented in the canton of Bern in 2006. Since then, lone wolves have repeatedly passed through the landscape in search of suitable habitat. Few wolves have settled in the canton of Bern so far. A pair of wolves lived for a short time in the border area near the Jaunpass. In 2017, the year of their first reproduction, the female was poisoned. The pups were never found, and the male also disappeared. That same year, a young male wolf from Graubünden moved into the upper Emmental region. The wolf that settled there (M 76) has now been roaming his territory for four years.

Because the wolf apparently shows little shyness around humans and does not perceive them as a threat, the hunting inspectorate, in consultation with the Federal Office for the Environment and the wildlife management agency KORA, has ordered that the wolf be hazed at the next opportunity. Hazing a wolf involves directly intervening to bring about a change in behaviour. Several methods are available for this purpose, one of which is the use of rubber pellets. The wolf's current behaviour poses a major challenge for the affected sheep farmers, but does not represent a danger to people. More on the debate in the dossier Why hobby hunting fails as population control.

Herd protection instead of culling

In order for the canton to issue a shooting permit for a wolf, an individual wolf must cause significant damage to livestock. Specifically, this means 25 livestock animals in one month, whereby only adequately protected animals are counted.

Via SMS from the canton and in the WhatsApp group of the Bernese Farmers' Association «Berner Beutegreifer-Info», information from the Bernese Hunting Inspectorate about sightings and kills is forwarded promptly and displayed on a map. In addition, the online map always shows the current wolf presence.

Thinking about how to effectively protect one's animals from wolf attacks is today part of the responsibilities of every livestock keeper. However, this should not only become an issue after a kill incident in the region, and not only for alpine summer pastures, but also for the home farm. Because one thing is clear: wolves can appear anywhere and at any time. That is why protecting one's own animals with well-maintained herd protection measures throughout the entire year is the appropriate approach. More on the topics of wildlife and hunting myths.

Letter from the Association of Bernese Sheep Breeding Organisations