Is a particularly aggressive wolf pack in the canton of Graubünden getting out of control? The authorities fear it – and are looking for an efficient counter-strategy.
M92, the leader of the Beverin pack, with prey. Photograph of a photo trap, 2019.
The Beverin pack has gained notoriety in recent weeks like no other wolf pack in Switzerland before. The wolves killed two suckler cows in less than a week in July – a highly dramatic development from the point of view of the farmers and the local population. “It shows that the wolves of the Beverin pack have acquired the ability to kill adult suckler cows – a first,” explains Arno Puorger from the Graubünden Canton’s Office for Hunting and Fishing. Because the young animals will set out in the coming weeks and months to set up their own packs, the office is particularly alarmed.
Wolves move quickly
This means that significantly more livestock may soon be threatened – also far beyond the current area. The case of a tagged wolf from another pack from the canton of Graubünden, which migrated within a few days at the beginning of July via South Tyrol to the Kaunertal and then on to the Pitztal, shows how quickly the wolves move. The case became known after the canton of Graubünden informed the Austrian authorities.
In order to quickly get the situation with the increasingly problematic Beverin pack under control, the canton of Graubünden wanted to call in the army. This has helicopters with thermal imaging cameras – making it easier to track animals at night. A few days after the wolves killed the second suckler cow in mid-July, the army received a request from the canton of Graubünden, as the Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (VBS) confirmed on request.
Army must be ready for forest fires
The request was rejected, however, said an army spokesman. Technically, the army has the ability to locate animals at night using thermal imaging devices. But the Air Force must currently be ready to fly extinguishing missions in forest fires and transport water to supply Alpine cattle. These operations have priority due to their urgency: “In contrast, an operation to locate wolves is not disaster relief.”
Another consideration speaks against the use of thermal imaging cameras from the point of view of the army. With such systems, a wolf cannot be distinguished from other wild animals. That is why the use of locating wolves is “only of limited usefulness”. For this reason, the army does not provide for helicopter flights to support the wolf hunt, even if resource planning would theoretically allow this after the end of the drought. Such operations would not be considered in the future either, explains the army spokesman.
Donkeys and cattle attacked
How much the support by army helicopters would have actually brought remains open. But the fact that the canton of Graubünden, which is considered to be rather cautious when dealing with the wolf issue, called the army for help shows how tense the nerves are. That
The wolves of the pack had previously attacked larger animals such as donkeys and cattle. From Puorger’s point of view, it is problematic that the wolves could also attack animals that were well fenced in, herded or guarded by livestock dogs. Puorger predicts that this ability will now be passed on to the younger generation, which will accelerate development.
The aim is to remove the pack
Even without the help of the army, the canton is taking decisive action against the pack. In the night of August 1, the rangers were able to kill two young wolves, whose shooting the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) had approved in July. The animals were caught in the immediate vicinity of a flock of sheep.
The rangers are currently monitoring the pack’s territory to obtain information on the number of offspring. This is a prerequisite for receiving further shooting permits. “Further attacks are to be expected,” explains Puorger: “Our goal remains the removal of the entire Beverin pack and the shooting of the particularly conspicuous sire.”