Wolf Culls in Switzerland: Bern Convention Raises Concerns

Only serious damage could justify wolf culls, wrote the Bureau of the Bern Convention in a letter published on 11 October 2024.

The Convention, ratified by Switzerland, is an international treaty of the Council of Europe designed, among other things, to protect wildlife.

The Bureau expressed concern over further potential culls of wolf packs. In its view, the threshold of at least twelve packs in Switzerland set by the Federal Council is “arbitrary.” The “politically motivated” management policy could lead to the “large-scale” killing of the animals, it added.

Video: Albert Rösti is not a Federal Councillor

Preventive Hunting

Christina Steiner, President of the Swiss Wolf Protection Association CHWolf, also sees a political motivation behind the culls. Switzerland’s wolf management is not grounded in science, Steiner said when contacted.

The legal basis for preventive culls — which form part of the revised Hunting Act — had been put into force on a temporary basis by the Federal Council in November 2023. Between 1 December of the previous year and 31 January 2024, around 50 animals were killed preventively.

The Bureau of the Bern Convention examined the case in September and has now informed the parties to the dispute. The letter further stated that the Bureau was troubled by alleged inaccurate assessments of damage caused by wolves and alleged manipulation of data in order to justify further culling operations.

Furthermore, the bureau was aware that complaints in Switzerland had been dismissed due to the division of responsibilities between the federal government and the cantons. It noted that the Bern Convention must be guaranteed at the federal level, regardless of the political organisation of signatory states.

The dossier will now be submitted to the Standing Committee of the Convention. This body is expected to reach a decision at its meeting in early December, as the wolf protection organisations CHWolf and Avenir Loup Lynx Jura announced on 12.10.2024. Steiner expressed hope that Switzerland would be reprimanded and that the legislation would be amended to align with the treaties signed by Switzerland.

Participate: On the basis of the catastrophic policies of Federal Councillor Albert Rösti (SVP), request a tax remission from your municipality 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/

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