Coexistence not Killing

The following text will be submitted as a consultation response: 

Dear Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN)

On behalf of X signatories, please find enclosed our comments on the revised Hunting Ordinance.

We are deeply concerned and outraged by the proposed revisions to the Hunting Ordinance, which once again seeks to authorise the unethical, unscientific and ineffective culling of wolves as well as allowing the killing of other protected (!) animal species which play vital roles in maintaining the health of the ecosystems we all depend on. Instead of focusing on the expansion and consistent implementation of herd protection and the promotion of coexistence with our native wildlife, the revised Ordinance prioritises a shooting policy and even authorises the preventative elimination of animals which have not caused any problem or damage. In addition to being outrageous, this goes against Switzerland’s commitment to protect and preserve our biodiversity.

We call instead for the preservation of biodiversity and for peaceful coexistence; the ordinance must prioritise and promote non-lethal measures such as the use of livestock guardian dogs. These and other non-lethal preventative methods aren’t just well tested and effective, they demonstrate a genuine desire to coexist with wildlife rather than the simplistic reaction of resorting to extreme lethal measures. We owe this to the wildlife we share our planet with, to honour Switzerland’s international commitment to protect biodiversity and the health of the ecosystems these species play a key role in and we all ultimately depend on. 

Wolf regulation & herd protection

The wolf is a strictly protected species under the Bern Convention, which Switzerland has also signed (1). The preventative killing authorised by FOEN is fundamentally at odds with the key principles of conservation and science-based management of biodiversity. DNA analyses of the 27 wolves killed in the canton of Valais.show that not a single one had preyed on livestock (2), clearly exposing these preventative measures as being extreme, unethical and ineffectual.

We are well aware that Switzerland’s turn against the wolves has been condemned by the IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group, the world’s experts on wild canids (3) as well as openly criticised by the Bern Convention Bureau,which defined it as“extremely worrying” and “arbitrary”

(4). We call for the Swiss Government to listen to science!

Studies also show that culling is not effective in preventing livestock predation (5). Shooting wolves indiscriminately disrupts naturally-functioning wolf societies, increasing the risk of lone and inexperienced wolves targeting easier prey, thus leading to more livestock predation, not less. Herders should, instead, be supported and encouraged to adopt increased herd protection and other non-lethal prevention measures.  

Based on available figures (KORA) it appears that the number of livestock killed  by wolves accounts just between 0,05-0.09% of all Swiss sheep and cows annually (6). Herd protection in Switzerland has already proven successful in recent years, as the number of livestock killed has fallen even though the wolf population has grown (7). This is supported by the fact that more than 90% of the livestock killed in 2022 across Switzerland had not been protected or guarded (8). This has also been the case in the canton of Grisons, which was responsible for 20 wolf kills alone last winter (9).

Shifting the responsibility of promoting, organising and funding livestock protection measures to the cantons, as mandated by the revised Ordinance, is the wrong approach, as it will complicate and slow down the promotion and expansion of livestock protection. We therefore call for herd protection to be regulated at the federal level once again and for the successes achieved to date to continue to be promoted.

Regulation of other protected animal species

We are also deeply concerned about the new provisions of the Ordinance by which several other protected animal species are targeted. In particular species like ibex and beaver but also lynx, otter, golden eagle and others can be culled. We find this disconcerting and incomprehensible, especially in view of the biodiversity crisis in Switzerland (10), Europe and worldwide.

Instead of enshrining the ecological benefits of wild animals in the Ordinance, wildlife conservation and animal welfare in Switzerland are once again being watered down, with further inevitable repercussions on biodiversity.

We therefore call for a reassessment of all targeted species and demand that the benefits which they bring to ecosystems and biodiversity be emphasised in the Ordinance instead.

On behalf of X concerned citizens we thank you for taking our concerns into account and for considering our proposal. Our team remains at your disposal to answer any questions you may have.

Yours faithfully

X Signatories

Jen Buchli, Campax