- Since the introduction of the revised hunting and protection regulations in December 2023, 21 wolves have been killed in Valais.
- The last kill occurred on New Year’s Day.
The affected young wolf was part of the Les Toules pack and was killed by a gamekeeper accompanying the hunting party. This goes from the last one count on the website of the Department for Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife (DJFW) of the Canton of Valais.
Legend:
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The cantons have the opportunity to carry out “preventive regulatory cuts” in December and January if they receive the green light to do so from the Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU). Valais is allowed to remove more than half of the 13 packs that move within the canton from the map. That would be at least 34 wolves out of around 100 individuals.
More kills than estimated
At the beginning of December, the Valais authorities estimated that the operation would be “a great success” if the canton managed to remove between ten and fifteen wolves in December and January.
The canton has its sights set on the packs of Nanz, Augstbord, Hérens-Mandelon, Le Fou-Isérables, Les Toules, Les Hauts-Forts and Chablais. In mid-December, the Federal Administrative Court blocked the preventive killing of the three packs of Hauts-Forts, Nanz and Le Fou-Isérables after several environmental organizations filed a lawsuit against it.
They were of the opinion that the federal government and the cantons were disregarding the principle of proportionality with these killings and that the shooting permit issued by the canton was illegal. They emphasized the important role of wolves in the forest ecosystem. The Bafu has now applied for the suspensive effect of the lawsuit to be lifted.