(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Swiss hunters can now cull wolves before they attack livestock. Keystone / Marco Schmidt

New laws that will make it easier to cull wolves in Switzerland will come into force on July 1.

This content was published on June 2, 2023 June 2, 2023 swissinfo.ch/mga

Parliament approved the changes to the hunting law in 2022 that allow wolves to be shot before they attack livestock.

+ when it's legal to shoot the wrong wolf

The revised law provides that the culling of packs or parts of packs will be permitted where agriculture is threatened. Game wardens will also be able to shoot wolves that approach inhabited areas and humans in a threatening manner, or against which flock protection measures are ineffective.

Cantons must obtain the approval of the Federal Office for the Environment before culling wolves, which will be authorised during a time window from the start of September to the end of January.

Announcing the implementation of the revised hunting law, the government also said it will provide CHF4 million ($4.4 million) to help farmers protect livestock from wolves.

Switzerland currently has some 250 wolves spread around some 26 packs. It is estimated that their population could top 350 by 2025.

Livestock losses have been growing exponentially in recent decades. From 1998 to 2008 around 1,000 kills in total were recorded; since 2020, the annual toll has been nearly as high.

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