Public service National Park Commission criticizes shooting plans for wolf packs

The Research Commission of the Swiss National Park has criticized the canton of Graubünden's plans to eliminate the national park wolf pack. From a scientific point of view, the removal of the entire pack is not justifiable, the commission declared.

The young female wolf, which had killed at least one cow, was no longer part of the so-called Fuorn pack. The National Park Commission, which is part of the Swiss Academy of Sciences, wrote this in a statement on Friday. And the wolf responsible for the second cattle kill in the region has not yet been identified.

The canton of Graubünden had applied to the Federal Office for the Environment to eradicate the entire pack living in the national park because of these two wolf kills. The decision from the federal government is still pending.

Contradiction to the legal mandate

"A decision to remove the Fuorn wolf pack would be contrary to the legal mandate to protect nature in the Swiss National Park," said its research commission. The Fuorn pack lives mainly in the park. It should not be shot there.

But even if the pack were to be shot outside the park, the researchers warned that the impact on the legally enshrined natural development of nature in Switzerland's only wilderness reserve would be considerable.

Finally, they question the effectiveness of wolf culls in general. Systematic reviews indicate that the shooting of large carnivores usually has no effect on future livestock kills. "Based on current knowledge, shooting wolves is the least effective measure for reducing livestock kills," wrote the National Park Commission.

SDA