Government Canton Valais may now shoot four wolf packs after all

In Valais, four of the current eleven wolf packs can now be removed after all. Following an initial rejection of an application to shoot the Hérens-Mandelon pack, the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has approved a supplementary application from the canton.

After receiving the FOEN's approval, State Councillor Frédéric Favre, head of the Department of Security, Institutions and Sport, ordered the removal of this pack as well, the canton of Valais announced on Wednesday. Initially, the FOEN had decided that the canton of Valais could only shoot one of the four wolf packs planned. The permit initially only applied to the Nanz pack.

Subsequently, State Councillor Frédéric Favre approached Environment Minister Albert Rösti. The two parties agreed that Valais could submit reconsideration applications for proactive regulation for these three packs without a shooting permit.

Initially, the FOEN issued a shooting permit retrospectively for the Les Toules and Augstbord packs. In both cases, following supplementary applications from the Valais, the Federal Office came to the conclusion that wolves had attacked livestock in a protected situation. Most recently, the authorities in Bern approved the removal of the Hérens-Mandelon pack.

The wolf population in Valais is estimated at 90 to 120 individuals. In the current hunting season, five wolves have been killed in Valais so far, two of them by gamekeepers and three by hunters. The regulation permit is valid until January 31, 2025.

SDA