Calanda: Wolf regulates deer population better than hobby hunters
Once again, virtually no supplementary hunting is necessary in late autumn in the wolf pack territory on the Calanda massif near Chur. Encounters between wolves and humans, as well as conflicts with agriculture, remain a challenge. Last week, the Office for Hunting and Nonsense Graubünden presented the evaluation of the regular high-season hunt. As has been the case for years, the two hunting regions on the Calanda massif stand out
Once again, virtually no supplementary hunting is necessary in late autumn in the wolf pack territory on the Calanda massif near Chur.
Encounters between wolves and humans, as well as conflicts with agriculture, remain a challenge.
Last week, the Office for Hunting and Fisheries Graubünden presented the evaluation of the regular high-season hunt. As has been the case for years, the two hunting regions on the Calanda massif in the Chur Rhine Valley stand out: The deer population there can largely be regulated through the high-season hunt in September.
The controversial supplementary hunt in November and December, known as the special hunt, can generally be dispensed with. Or only a few culls are necessary, as was the case this year in the outer part of the wolf territory. In Graubünden, the area thus represents an exception.
Wolf pack controls deer population
The head of the Office for Hunting and Fisheries, Georg Brosi, attributes the favourable situation to the presence of the wolf pack. Since Switzerland's first pack formed on the Calanda in 2011, the number of deer there has fallen by a third.
During the same period, the deer population across the entire canton grew by 18 percent. The trend is comparable for roe deer and chamois, albeit not quite as pronounced.
A better wildlife regulator than hobby hunters
«This is the most positive aspect of the wolf pack — the support it provides in managing red deer, roe deer and chamois,» explains the canton's chief game warden. The influence on so-called ungulates is positive in three respects.
The hungry pack decimates the currently high populations, brings about a more even distribution of wildlife across the terrain, and improves the health of the herds through its hunting behaviour.
Wolves prey primarily on sick and weak animals. “They can do that better than hobby hunters,” says Brosi. The pack is a better wildlife regulator than recreational hunting. “From an ecological perspective, the wolf is a positive factor.”
