ABOUT US
Wolf Mission (Mission Loup in French) is a research project driven by a team of dedicated and passionate volunteers from diverse origins and backgrounds. The study and its overall management are spearheaded by the Romandie (i.e French speaking part of Switzerland) director of “Groupe Loup Suisse” alongside a biologist/ethologist. However, none of this would be possible without our wonderful team, who assist us on the field by conducting various fieldwork tasks such as camera trapping, wolf scat collection, and more.

At Wolf Mission, we have two main objectives:

* To gather extensive data which supports governmental agencies in making informed decisions about wolf pack management (e.g., culling) while countering biased evidence from untrustworthy or lobbied non-governmental organisations.

* To improve public knowledge about wildlife by sharing insights from our in-situ and ex-situ work. We aim to educate both adults and children on topics such as species interaction or specific animals such as wolves or prey animals (e.g., Ibex).

Through this website, you will gain direct access to the information we’ve gathered on wolf packs and wildlife over the past two years. We’ll be of course sharing our discoveries, photos and videos, news articles and monthly reports on topics relevant to wildlife conservation.

Click HERE to find out more about Wolf Mission and what we stand for.

WOLF MISSION

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Discover Eduwolf - the new educational and scientific center on wolf education in Switzerland!

What if we learned to get to know the wolf, rather than fear it?

Eduwolf is a Swiss educational project born of a strong conviction: knowledge is the best tool against fears and preconceived ideas.

Created by the Groupe Loup Suisse & Wolf Mission, led by a team of scientists, mediators and naturalists, Eduwolf offers a lively, rigorous and neutral education on one of the most emblematic - and debated - animals of our mountains: the wolf.

School workshops, activities, conferences, teaching materials... The program is aimed at students as well as teachers, parents or anyone curious to better understand the place of the wolf in our ecosystem.

Observe, understand, debate, without judging: that is our approach.

To discover Eduwolf and its modules, click HERE

BLOG

NEWS

LATEST NEWS

* 04/04 - Update of the "french speaking Valais packs" page, with the latest available information.

* 03/18 - Discover the story of Frost & Thirteen, two Polish wolves, against a backdrop of poaching: "Mutual aid among the wolves - A Polish story".

* 03/01 - Updated FRENCH SPEAKING VALAIS PACKS

* 02/23 - Read our article in two parts Wolf management - The importance of ethology - part 1 and Wolf management - The importance of ethology - part 2. Watch two video clips, analyze them and find the correct answer. Above all, learn the need for a knowledge of ethology in everything to do with wolves, especially wolf regulation.

*02/10 - Watch our new video, above, entitled “A year in the pack”. Discover, in pictures, the different stages of the wolf's biological year, from meeting the wolf to the birth of the cubs, including feeding, playing and pack life.

Don't forget to also follow us on our Instagram page and Facebook page, where we publish never-before-seen content.

We're happy to announce that Wolf Mission has seen its membership grow, as interest in wolf advocacy has increased enormously in recent months. So we're going to continue our mission, with a number of very important projects, essential to the protection and study of the wolf, in the years to come.

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SPECIAL THANKS

We'd like to thank Yan-So for their invaluable help, which enabled us to carry out our study in the best conditions. As well as our "godfather", Fabien Bruggmann, for sharing his experience and his unfailing support. Find out more about his career here.

We would also like to thank the people who have inspired us, provide us with valuable information/advice and collaborate with us, in particular Jean-Michel, Rémy, Jean-Marc, Fabien, Raffaele, David, Marco, Luigi, Duccio, Ugo, Pietro, Taylor, Kira, Francesca, Catherine and so many others.

A YEAR IN THE PACK

SPECIAL REPORT
After a great deal of hard work, effort and research, we bring you a very comprehensive special report :

CANIDS - THE REAL DANGER FOR HUMANS TODAY

We worked in collaboration with lupine & canine specialists, veterinarians (behaviorists), doctors and historians/writers, whom we thank for their kind participation. We've also based this entire dossier on the many books, statistics and official studies we've read on the whole subject.

We give you the opportunity to explore, in greater depth, the subject of the fear of the wolf, which is constantly coming to the fore and has become a weapon of political instrumentalization. You'll learn more about the history, functioning & behavior of canines, the reality of canine-human conflicts in our society, statistics and more...

Happy reading and share the web link !

PACKS IN FRENCH SPEAKING VALAIS

Find out more about the history and news of the packs in the French-speaking Valais region.

Who are they ? When were they founded ? Who are their members ? How many attacks have they committed ? Which individuals have been shot ?

We invite you to get to know them better, to understand how they work, and to follow their evolution throughout the year!

Click on the link below to find out more :

FRENCH SPEAKING VALAIS PACKS

Photo : Wolf Mission (M287 - Ferpecle/Arolla pack)

THE WOLF IN SWITZERLAND

Between 1894 and 1984, several wolves have been in Switzerland but all of them were shot. The official wolf return took place in 1995, in Valais. The individual was quickly shot following attacks on livestock but...without having been officially identified, so the shooting wasn't really valid. Between 1996 and 2010, only a few solitary individuals transited Switzerland, mostly in the Alps (Grisons, Valais and Tessin). Most of them were males, only 6 females were identified between 2002 and 2011. The first Swiss pack was formed in 2012, in the Calanda Massif in Grisons. In Romandie, the first pack has been founded in Ausgbord (Valais), in 2015. In Vaud, the first pack has been founded in 2019, called "The Marchairuz pack". In St.Gallen, the first pack has been founded in 2022 (Calfeisental).

By the end of 2023, Switzerland have at least 34 packs, some other are under examination. But as a massive regulation is underway, with 9 packs able to be shot entirely, we'll have to wait until February 2024 to really have a reliable count. Around 12 packs are located in Valais (4 of which are cross-border, 3 with France and 1 with Italy) and around 5 packs in Vaud (3 of which are cross-border with France).

The wolf population is estimated at around 300 individuals. The 3 maps below show the numbers of packs in 2023, wolf population trends from 1994 to 2022, and livestock losses from 1999 to 2022.

Article in "La Salamandre Magazine" ( french)

Photo : The female of the Calanda pack, F07, was the oldest wolf alive in Switzerland (13-14 years old). She died in August 2023, having to be slaughtered due to her deteriorating general condition.

HOW CAN YOU HELP THE WOLF IN A CONCRETE WAY?

Would you like to to help protect wolf packs in French-speaking Switzerland? And provide tangible evidence for a better understanding of how they function ?

Contact us to become a volunteer for Wolf Mission (validation after security procedures) and participate in field actions, as part of the monitoring of the wolf in french speaking Switzerland.

If you observe wolves, signs of their presence (droppings, carcasses, footprints, etc.) or set camera traps showing the passage of wolves, please do not hesitate to contact us by email: missionloupvs@gmail.com.

You can also support us with a small donation, which will be used to purchase thermal vision for interested breeders or necessary equipment to replace that which has been stolen and damaged. Please make your donation payable to Groupe Loup Suisse, with the reference “Mission Loup”:

Compte PC : 15-58813-9
IBAN : CH51 0900 0000 1505 8813 9
Gruppe Wolf Schweiz / Groupe Loup Suisse
3000 Bern
Donation

Thank you for your valuable cooperation and support !

2025 HERD ATTACK STATISTICS IN FRENCH-SPEAKING DEPARTMENTS

We can't talk about the wolf without mentioning the attacks on livestock - sheep, cattle and goats.

To give people real information, we're gonna give you current and updated figures for attacks on livestock in the affected french cantons of Switzerland. We'll update that section once or twice a month, based on data exchanged with official authorities.

2024 HERD ATTACK STATISTICS IN FRENCH-SPEAKING DEPARTMENTS

We can't talk about the wolf without mentioning the attacks on livestock - sheep, cattle and goats.

VALAIS

341 LOSSES

161 PROTECTED

128 UNPROTECTED

51 UNPROTECTABLE

1 NOT DEFINED

PROACTIVE REGULATION 2024/2025
PROACTIVE REGULATION AUTHORIZED FOR :

- NANZ PACK (72 ANIMALS KILLED, 36 PROTECTED)

-AUGSTBORD PACK (61 ANIMALS KILLED, 50 PROTECTED)

- LES TOULES PACK (15 ANIMALS KILLED, 1 PROTECTED)

- HÉRENS/MANDELON PACK (11 ANIMALS KILLED, 8 PROTECTED)

- NENDAZ/ISÉRABLES PACK (1 ANIMAL KILLED - CALF LESS THAN 14 DAYS OLD)

5 ADULT WOLVES WERE SHOT BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1 AND OCTOBER 31, 2024, EVEN THOUGH THE FEDERAL AUTHORITIES HAD EXPLICITLY REQUESTED THAT WOLF CUBS BE SHOT FIRST!

REACTIVE REGULATION 2024 = 1 WOLF SHOT ON AUGUST 14, 2024 AT BETTMERALP (F244) FOLLOWING A SHOOTING AUTHORIZATION.

CAUTION: 2 WOLVES WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE MÜNSTER REGION THIS SPRING! PROOF OF BREEDING OR NON-BREEDING MUST BE PROVIDED BEFORE SHOOTING (MEMBER OF BREEDING PAIR REGULABLE ONLY BETWEEN NOVEMBER AND JANUARY)!

LOSSES 2024
264 OF THE 341 ANIMALS KILLED WERE IN THE UPPER VALAIS. THE NANZ, AUGSTBORD AND SIMPLON PACKS WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR 151 LOSSES, AND ONE OR TWO LONE WOLVES KILLED THE REMAINING 113 IN THE GOMS-ALETSCH REGION. THE PROTECTION SITUATION IN THE UPPER VALAIS, WHICH IS LIMITED TO FENCES ONLY, NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED, WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF GUARDIAN DOGS AND SHEPHERDS.

THE 9 FRENCH-SPEAKING PACKS (4 CROSS-BORDER COUNTING AS 1/2 AND 7 "PURE SWISS" PACKS) KILLED ONLY 76 FARM ANIMALS! YET 3 OF THEM ARE ON THE MENU FOR PROACTIVE REGULATION...

DEAD WOLVES 2024 = 2 WOLVES FOUND DEAD IN THE UPPER VALAIS IN JANUARY 2024 (TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY). ONE WAS IDENTIFIED AS M413, THE OTHER REMAINED UNIDENTIFIED.

JANUARY 1 - DECEMBER 31, 2024

VAUD

213 LOSSES

92 SHEEP/GOAT

53 CATTLE > 160 DAYS

21 CATTLE < 160 DAYS

3 ALPAGA

10 CASES UNDER EXAMINATION

15 CASES RECORDED AS “ASSESSMENT UNCERTAIN”.

LYNX : 16 SHEEP AND 1 CALF KILLED

DOG : 2 SHEEP KILLED AND 2 INJURED

PROACTIVE REGULATION 2024/2025
THE CANTON HAS REQUESTED REGULATION OF THE MONT-TENDRE PACK (VALID UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2025).

BY DECEMBER 31, 4 WOLVES HAD BEEN SHOT. 2 WOLVES (M445 & M351, BREEDING MALE)
WERE WOUNDED BUT NOT FOUND, DESPITE THE USE OF BLOODHOUNDS. THESE 2 WOLVES MAY BE AMONG THE 4 WOLVES THAT DIED, HAVING BEEN SUBSEQUENTLY SHOT. GENETICS ALONE WILL PROVIDE THE ANSWERS.

THE
AUTHORIZATION TO SHOOT 2 YOUNG WOLVES FROM 2024, 1 IN THE RISOUX PACK AND 1 IN THE JOUGNE-SUCHET PACK, IS VALID UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2025.

REACTIVE REGULATION 2024 = AN AUTHORIZATION HAS BEEN GIVEN FROM THE THE 1ST TILL THE 31 OF AUGUST 2024 BUT NO WOLF HAS BEEN KILLED DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME.

JANUARY 1 - DECEMBER 31, 2024