Armed shepherds in Switzerland?

Last year, Swiss news outlets reported that "the government must evaluate defensive wolf shootings" and that "shepherds in Switzerland could soon use firearms against attacking wolves."

The idea of arming shepherds is just that latest in a long series of lobbying efforts to keep the wolf on everyone’s mind, in spuriously fearmongering ways, while clearly neglecting the real issues.

In Switzerland, tens of thousands of livestock animals annually die not because of the slaughterhouse, but because of accidents, extreme weather conditions, diseases, mismanagement and downright neglect and cruelty. Less than 2% of those 100% livestock deaths happen because of the wolf … and yet, the outrage and clamor to kill more wolves relentlessly continues.

The hypocrisy is glaring - and all the way from those responsible for livestock, to the hallowed halls of top government - the focus is squarely on the wolf. It is so much easier to focus everything on a scapegoat, rather than addressing animal needs and progressing with sound and scientifically proven coexistence measures.

I’ve written about all of that in this article 👉

The return of the wolf to Switzerland

As in much of Europe, the wolf was eradicated in Switzerland until, in the nineties, the species began to make its return, mainly to Swiss alpine regions. The return happened because European countries realized the importance of the species and gave it protective status. Today there are several thousand wolves in the Alps, mostly in Italy and France - and a mere few in Switzerland … but that is clearly too many for a loudly screaming rabid minority.

Switzerland is now home to about thirty-five wolf packs, with ten of those moving across borders with Italy and France. In total that’s about three hundred wolves (most of them related - by DNA analysis - to Italy’s packs). Before I go on, let me once more state loudly and clearly that Switzerland does not have a wolf problem, we have a farming and hunting lobby problem, and we have a governmental policy problem.

These lobbies have successful made themselves at home in government. So much so that, today, three of Switzerland’s most senior councillors (Switzerland’s top political leadership consists of seven such councillors) have a farming background. The disproportional presence of the farming lobby in government makes no sense, as only about 2% of the Swiss population work in agriculture. Agriculture is essential, but so is balance and balance looks very, very different.

Albert Roesti: Leader of the anti-wolf charge

The current minister in charge of the environment, Albert Roesti, is one of these three. He comes from a Bernese farming family, was the director of Swiss Milk Producers, was president of the Agricultural Information Service and president of Swiss Oil (yes, you read that right, Roesti is a highly prolific lobbyist) and, as a member of the Swiss right-wing party (heavily farmer-backed), he made it through the ranks to the highest level of Swiss government. This man, responsible for the environment, fought against the biodiversity initiative, and he also leads the charge agains the wolf.

Here is someone who either doesn’t understand science, the meaning of healthy biodiversity and trophic cascading or who - and that’s much worse - willfully and destructively ignores it all to deliver for his cronies and according to his biases. Harsh? Maybe. I think not. If the shoe fits …

He ignored the will of the people (who voted in 2020 to maintain existing law) and called on his department to lower wolf protection. For the first time in 2023, this allowed for “preventative” wolf killing and hordes of hunters rushed to make use of that opportunity. “Preventative” means just what it says on the label - you get to hunt and kill an animal that has done absolutely nothing. You get to slaughter entire packs, you get to kill the young. This last hunting season (01.09.2024 - 31.01.2025) nearly 100 wolves were shot for the entirely fearmongered, fabricated, non-scientific reason of prevention.

Instead of employing proven coexistence measures, subsidies for such efforts are stripped to monies are made available for thousands of hours needed to hunt a single wolf. Makes sense? Of course it doesn’t. The ministry of the environment, by the way, is very happy with the way things are going and expects annual wolf slaughter to become the norm. Roesti himself says that his job is to protect the population - which is utter rubbish with wolves known to do their best to steer clear of humans.

About those armed shepherds

The government is looking into the idea of arming shepherds. In France, shepherds can be armed and have the right of the “tir de défense” - the “defensive shot”. Essentially, when they see a wolf approach their flock, they’re allowed to kill the wolf - not just startle/scare the wolf with a shot in the air, but kill. This practice has long been the norm in France … and has made no difference. Swiss NGOs point out that the practice in France has not led to fewer livestock deaths.

People like Roesti argue that a killed wolf will no longer take livestock. Such statements highlight their (willful) ignorance. Killing a wolf means disrupting a pack and its hierarchy. It can be the very thing that leads to erratic behavior. It can also lead to wolves, either alone or as packs, to move … nothing is solved. According to these lobbies, the goal must therefore be to exterminate all wolves … and these are the people who supposedly know all about nature and the value and importance of biodiversity.

Once again, what has been studied, what is scientifically proven fact, is ignored. The Swiss government is going ahead with evaluating this method for Swiss shepherds. If the decisions by our minister of the environment in favor of farming and hunting lobbies are any indication, then there’s a good chance that we’ll have armed shepherds soon. Does it make sense? Of course not!

Most attacks on livestock by wolves happen when no farmer or shepherd is anywhere near. During transhumance summer months, livestock often roam the alpine meadows with no human caretakers anywhere near. What about the thousands that die in accidents, from sicknesses, from extreme weather conditions … No issue there, right? All of these many thousands (around 50’000 last year) are swept under the farming lobby rug. But the few that have been slain by a natural predator, why, outrage! I’m sure armed shepherds are just the solution.

I maintain that Switzerland must change its ways. Only professional hunters, people who have been trained and are full-time employed for this purpose, should be out there with rifle. These are people I can reasonably trust to not shoot themselves, or hikers, or their own livestock, or dogs, or other animals - or wound wolves. Arming shepherds would do nothing - zero - good for either people or livestock.

Professional hunters, employed hunters, will also abide by the law. It’s high time for farming lobby allies like Albert Roesti to go - then Switzerland will get the laws the majority of its citizens clearly want. Laws that stand for nature recovery, for a return to rich biodiversity, for nature corridors and, yes, for coexistence measures, for carnivores that, as apex predators, are essential for healthy biodiversity.

Cheers,

PS: I’d have a radical option that would likely make a huge difference but, of course, certain heads would explode at the very idea. Check it out 👉

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