Wolf Poaching in the Canton of Vaud: First Investigations
For the first time, a wolf has been poached in the Canton of Vaud.
The remains of the shot animal were discovered on 3 January in the municipality of Avenches.
The State Council recalls that it condemns every act of poaching and is referring the matter to the judiciary.
The 32-kilogram male wolf was found in a forest near the village of Oleyres in the municipality of Avenches in the Vaudois Broye. "This is the first known case of wolf poaching in the canton," said Denis Rychner, spokesman for the General Directorate for the Environment (DGE). "This had already occurred with the lynx, but not with the wolf," he added.
The animal was taken over by the DGE's wildlife and nature police and transferred to the national competence center for wildlife diseases at the University of Bern (FIWI). According to the autopsy, the wolf was killed with a firearm approximately one week before the discovery of its remains, according to the canton.
No suspects at this stage
"There are currently no suspects," said Rychner. "We naturally hope that we will succeed in finding the perpetrator of this act of poaching." A criminal complaint will be filed with the public prosecutor's office, which will open an investigation to determine the circumstances of this poaching case, he emphasized.
The identification of the animal based on its DNA is currently under way at the Laboratoire de biologie de la conservation (LBC) of the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). The results will be announced at the end of January, according to the canton.
"It will be determined whether it is a wolf that has already been recorded, where it came from, which pack it belongs to, and whether it was shot on the spot itself," the DGE spokesman added.
Up to one year in prison
The canton of Vaud strongly condemns these acts and recalls that all reported cases of wildlife crime are processed and, where they prove to be substantiated, referred to the competent authorities. The Federal Act on Hunting punishes poaching with fines and, in serious cases, with up to one year of imprisonment.
Another dead wolf in the Vaud Jura
The canton also informs that another male wolf was found dead on 10 December in Longirod in the Vaud Jura, shortly before the Christmas holidays. The autopsy carried out by FIWI revealed that the animal had died as a result of a collision with a car. DNA analyzes are currently being conducted to identify the animal.
As a reminder: the canton has three packs in the Vaud Jura. In total, six wolves have been killed to date through regulatory culls. Under the preventive culls approved by Bern since 1 December, the cantonal government is targeting a single animal, namely the alpha male of the Mont-Tendre pack.
Dossier: Wolf in Switzerland: Facts, Politics and the Limits of Hunting
Call to action: Demand from your municipality, on the grounds of the disastrous policy of Federal Councillor Albert Rösti (SVP), a tax remission request for federal and cantonal taxes in light of the recently approved culling of wolves in Switzerland. You can download the template letter here: https://wildbeimwild.com/ein-appell-fuer-eine-veraenderung-in-der-schweiz/
