The wolf management is now enshrined in the new Ordinance (OChP), so it will take place reactively between June and August and proactively between September and the end of January. Until 2023 and the 180-degree change in wolf management and regulation wanted by Swiss Federal Councillor Albert Rösti, only (sworn) wildlife wardens and a few (non-sworn) auxiliary wildlife rangers could carry out legal shooting. But the canton of Valais, known for its passion for hunting (including paid hunting of protected animals, which is outrageous, has capitalized on a sentence in the Ordinance. It has authorized hunters with a fox and wild boar license to take part in the proactive regulation of wolves, by setting up a 3-hour training course. That it is mainly focused on the procedures to be followed (before, during and after shooting) but does not really focus on the wolf, a pack, how it functions and is organized, etc. However, in Switzerland, a hunting license can only be obtained through training that lasts 3 years, at the end of which the hunter knows all the prey, their physical and biological characteristics (which is mandatory to kill an animal without causing it any suffering and then to gut it), their age (strict removal quotas are in force), how they function, etc.
What about the wolf? Three hours of training for him, three years for his prey. Isn't there something wrong with such a difference in the procedures put in place to properly train future shooters? Let's be clear: when comparing a deer to a wolf, whether in terms of their social life, the size of their territory, their functioning and organization, their dispersal capacity, the potential consequences in the event of a shooting error, etc., any self-respecting specialist, biologist or scientist will agree that shooting predators requires much more knowledge and in-depth training than shooting their prey. And it goes without saying that the risks incurred in the event of shooting errors can be much more damaging with wild canids than with cervids.
But then, how could training be improved? What would need to be included so that those carrying out its regulation ? How can we avoid the removal of individuals with a key role in the pack or of adult members before October 31, the destructuring or intraspecific imbalances or even the killing of guard/domestic dogs or another species of predator? It is important to mention that wolves are shot, the vast majority of the time, at night, with the support of thermal vision. The problem is that it is then impossible to differentiate individuals based on physical characteristics, which are visible when shooting during the day! We are talking about different coat colors, spots, cropped ears, in short, any sign that can be used to identify one individual from another. Although this is difficult with wolves, there are ways to recognize certain individuals by their appearance or characteristics. Thermal vision eliminates this possibility, making any target white (or black, sepia, etc.). From then on, all that remains is the general appearance, a possible difference in size (which will no longer be present from mid-December between adults and cubs of the year - on this subject we congratulate the Grisons for the decision to stop shooting in January 2025) and...behavior!
And this is precisely the most important point with wolves, which are heavily neglected or even forgotten in “accelerated” training courses, unfortunately! We would like to remind you that, according to the Federal Hunting Act, the shooter must be 100% sure of his target before shooting, he must be certain that he is shooting the right individual (age, sex, species, etc.). But what can be done if precise visual identification is no longer possible? It is then compulsory to be able to recognize certain signs, such as the tail being carried, postures and attitudes, social behavior, etc., in order to differentiate individuals within a pack (members of the breeding pair, subadults, cubs). But also to know how to tell the difference between wild and domestic canines! In Valais, a guard dog has already paid with his life for an identification error, which shows that learning ethology would be necessary, as the behavioral differences between wild and domestic canids are still poorly known/understood. This could lead to real problems. You can't buy back life, the animal shot cannot be recused once the fatal bullet has reached its target. The loss of a companion is a heavy burden, both emotionally and even organizationally (for the breeder). As for the shooter, it is important to mention that he can also be heavily impacted by realizing his mistake and having to live with this error on his conscience. Killing a dog, knowing its role within a breeding program or a family, is not without emotional consequences either.
In addition to the fact that proactive regulation takes place at night, there is the distance between the shooter and the wolf and the time available to take the shot! Indeed, the wolf is often just passing through an environment where obstacles (trees, trunks, hills, etc.) can make its appearance quite fleeting, leaving only a short window of opportunity to take the shot and requiring a more or less quick decision to be made. But the reality is that it is compulsory to be able to analyze, over a period of possibly one to several minutes, the behavior of the individuals in the pack or the canid present. Ethology is therefore very important for differentiating between individuals, identifying the physical signs (wagging of the tail, facial expressions, postures) that make it possible to know who the breeding pair, the subadults, the cubs, etc. are. It is also necessary to be able to recognize the differences between dogs and wolves, especially when shooting takes place near pastures where livestock, farms or localities are located. Although in Switzerland there are very few stray or wandering dogs, especially at night, the risk of hitting the wrong target is still very real in these situations.
Below, we present, in the two parts of this article, two sequences of a video filmed by our team during one of our many nocturnal observation and search trips. We were in an area where the wolf has been sighted several times, where there is a high concentration of prey at this time of year, where carcasses have already been found and where no stray dogs have ever been reported or observed. We were therefore in ideal conditions to hope to see Canis Lupus appear... We were filming a wild boar, alone and wounded (very white right front leg, which shows a strong flow of blood) feeding at 2 a.m., 100m from our position. Suddenly, a canine emerges from the forest and begins to trot down the path towards the boar. Size, withers, appearance, build, it's all there. The boar didn't stand a chance and, despite its injury, it took off into the undergrowth, legs up to its neck!
Based on the first 30 seconds from the appearance of the canid, which often causes a strong adrenaline rush that can also momentarily blur perception, it is obvious that many people would be convinced that it is a wolf. Particularly based on the aforementioned circumstances, i.e. no dogs in the area, wolves sighted, injured animal, high concentration of prey, etc. Let's not forget that before the advent of proactive regulation, wolves could only be shot by wildlife wardens (with the help of auxiliary wardens if necessary). This means that very few people today have any real (or extensive) experience of identifying wolves using thermal imaging equipment. In addition, there is the stealth of the wild predator's passages and even more so of the packs, which are hardly noticeable over long sequences. Observations are therefore very rare, making formal identification difficult.
Article: TML - Wolf Mission
Videos: Wolf Mission
Photo: Pietro Santucci
