We are so fortunate for having Rick Lamplugh share his wonderful essays. Thank you Rick! Keeping Wolves Alive in Switzerland, Part 1—by Rick Lamplugh (Another in a series about the plight of wolves worldwide) Two facts to consider: By 1900 humans had eradicated wolves from Switzerland. In 2014 an advocacy group offered $11,000 for information leading to the arrest of the person who illegally killed a Swiss wolf. These events bookend the wolf’s voyage from vermin to valued in Switzerland. Though wolves were exterminated in most of Europe, some survived in Spain and Italy and did what wolves do: hunt, breed, disperse. Eventually, Italian wolves headed north. By 1995 the first wolf had returned to Switzerland. Even after a century’s absence, that inaugural sighting rekindled the myths, hatred, and desire to kill wolves. But wholesale killing was not legal. In 1981 Switzerland had signed the Bern Convention, an agreement that protects wolves in Europe. Switzerland—about the size of Vermont plus New Hampshire—is divided politically into 26 cantons. Grazing livestock is an important source of income for residents in the cantons with remote valleys surrounded by snow-capped peaks. This story focuses on the return of wolves to two cantons, Graubunden, bordering Italy; and Valais, bordering Italy and France. Both cantons are ideal wolf country: few people, rugged terrain, natural prey. Both are also home to summer-grazing sheep and ripe for conflict. In Graubunden the flocks are large and protected. In Valais the flocks are hobby-sized—twenty to thirty animals. Valais sheep raisers claim that small flocks make nonlethal deterrents such as shepherds, guard dogs, and electric fencing too expensive or impractical. Wolves like Valais; locals feel the bite, partially offset by 2004 legislation allowing compensation for wolf-related losses. By November of 2006—with only six wolves in Switzerland—authorities tried to have the predator’s Bern Convention status downgraded so that more Swiss wolves could be eradicated. This proposal was rejected around the same time that a wolf reportedly killed about thirty sheep in Valais and was shot dead. The shooting was legal: a permit can be issued to shoot any wolf believed to have killed at least 35 sheep over a four-month period or 25 in a single month. Since dead sheep can only be counted toward the death sentence if the flock was protected, Valais sheep owners found themselves caught between opportunistic wolves and unfavorable legislation. By 2009 the country’s wolf population had doubled to twelve. In August three wolves killed 42 sheep in Valais and another canton. The government said the wolves must die. A game warden shot one. Twenty more wardens went gunning for the other two. The World Wildlife Fund appealed the death sentence, stating that many of the sheep had not been well protected. Plus, a WWF representative told the UK Telegraph, “There is no way to be sure that the three wolves that die are the three that did the killing…” In the other camp, the head of the local association of herders said that wolves have no place in Valais. He wants “an absolute cull.” With only twelve wolves in the country, battle lines were drawn. How would the clash play out? This story continued next week. For more about wolves and their place in the ecosystem, check out my new bestseller, In the Temple of Wolves. You can order a signed copy from me at: bit.ly/1gYghB4 Or buy eBook or paperback on Amazon at: amzn.to/Jpea9Q Eurasian wolf photo by G. Volker
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 16:03:55 +0000
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