Wolf incompetence is rampant in Graubünden.

No other canton in Switzerland shoots as many wolves as Graubünden. Nevertheless, livestock kills have suddenly increased again following this proactive wolf massacre. This is exactly what reputable experts predicted in their studies.

Editorial Team Wild beim Wild — September 22, 2025

After reaching a peak of 1789 wolf attacks in 2022 (GR 517), the number of wolf attacks decreased by 40% (1051) across Switzerland in 2023 and by almost 50% (267) in Graubünden , even before preventive wolf management began on December 1, 2023.

Preventive regulation cannot therefore be responsible for the decrease in cracks. This is solely due to improved livestock protection measures.

Proactively shooting completely inconspicuous wolves and their pups is fundamentally illegal under the Bern Convention.

Between 2022 and 2024, a significant decrease in confirmed livestock kills was observed in Graubünden (from 517 in 2022 → 267 in 2023 → 213 in 2024). Expert agencies and NGOs attribute this to increased herd protection measures.

Graubünden is at the heart of Switzerland's wolf management incompetence. During the last wolf management period, from September 2024 to January 2025, 48 wolves were killed in the canton – more than anywhere else in Switzerland. Nevertheless, by the end of August 2025, authorities had already recorded 167 livestock kills, 25 more than the previous year. For the new management period, the federal government has again received a particularly high number of requests: young wolves in 17 packs are to be shot, and one pack is even to be completely eradicated. The wolf population in Graubünden grew in 2025 compared to the previous year, while the number of livestock kills is rising again.

Communication failure at the Office for Hunting and Fishing Graubünden

Christina Steiner, president of the CHWolf association, assesses the situation: She criticizes Graubünden for exploiting the new hunting regulations "to the extreme" and shooting even into inconspicuous wolf packs. This could destroy the pack structure and create space for lone wolves, which are particularly likely to prey on unprotected sheep. A Latvian study proves that indiscriminate culling is not a long-term solution. Her organization therefore focuses on livestock protection and supports alpine farms with fencing, livestock guardian dogs, and consulting services.

National Park Director Ruedi Haller also believes that culling alone is not the solution. He points to the case of the Fuorn pack in the Lower Engadine: after the authorities exterminated it despite protests, there was a sudden increase in sheep kills.

Experts and studies have warned that culling, especially of young animals or entire packs, could disrupt the pack structure, leading to unexpected behavior (e.g., lone wolves more likely to attack livestock). This could worsen the situation, not improve it.

The lines remain drawn. Thomas Roffler (SVP), president of the Graubünden Farmers' Association, plans to submit two motions in October, together with the SVP faction in the Graubünden Grand Council: one to extend the hunting season and another to include more recreational hunters. Steiner, on the other hand, demands targeted culling only where livestock are killed despite consistent herd protection measures.

Instead of enforcing consistent livestock protection measures, the Swiss People's Party (SVP) is declaring the rifle the "solution." This is not protection, but capitulation. It is submission to the farmers' lobby, which uses the fairy tale of the "big bad wolf" to make policy at the expense of the most vulnerable – and in doing so, squanders the credibility of the rule of law and science. Shooting wolves is not a reliable means of protecting livestock. The risk of counterproductive effects has been scientifically proven.

Hunting wolf pups is generally prohibited under the Bern Convention. Switzerland officially has no authorization to hunt wolf pups. Furthermore, it is under discussion whether Switzerland's gradual relaxation of these restrictions is compatible with the Convention's objectives. The Bern Convention also prohibits the proactive killing of wolves. The Bern Convention Committee considers the Swiss regulations, with their minimum quotas and preventative culls, to be concerning and potentially incompatible with the Convention.

Hunting wolves is generally prohibited – except in explicitly authorized exceptions. Wolves may only be shot if certain conditions are met, such as repeated attacks on livestock or if an animal becomes dangerous to humans, which certainly does not apply to wolf pups. In Switzerland, wolves may only be hunted with federal authorization and in compliance with hunting laws, regulations, international law, and livestock protection requirements.

Canton → Application to the Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) → Review according to the Hunting Ordinance and the Bern Convention → Federal permit → Notification to the Council of Europe → Implementation by game wardens → Control by courts/associations.

Shooting purely "as a precaution"—without concrete damage and without having tried all other methods first—is not permitted under the Bern Convention. Young animals are specially protected under the Bern Convention; proactive shooting without concrete damage is considered inadmissible.

The wolf population (and fox population) regulates itself within a certain range in an area and no longer increases, but instead expands across borders. Regulatory mechanisms include increased territorial fights, higher mortality rates among young animals, and limited food availability.

On November 16, 2024, a game warden from the Office for Hunting and Nonsense in Graubünden also killed three protected lynxes while hunting during the wolf massacre.

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

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