Summary
The Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) has analyzed the third preventive wolf population regulation phase (September 2025 to January 2026). The cantons received approval to regulate approximately 115 wolves and culled 77 of them. The report shows that the exponential growth of the wolf population has been slowed: The number of packs increased significantly more slowly than in previous years. At the same time, livestock damage declined through reinforced herd protection and population regulation.
Persons
- Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU) (Swiss Authority)
Topics
- Wolf population regulation
- Herd protection
- Wildlife management
- Livestock damage
Clarus Lead
Preventive wolf regulation is developing into an established management strategy in Switzerland. While population growth could be slowed, the number of packs remains elevated at 40 documented packs (30 national, 10 transboundary). For cantons and agriculture, the report signals that a combined strategy of herd protection and targeted culling remains necessary – an approach that can only be fully evaluated over several additional regulation cycles.
Detailed Summary
The 2025/2026 regulation period followed an established pattern: BAFU approved the regulation of approximately 115 wolves; the cantons carried out 77 culls. This corresponds to a quota of approximately 67 percent of approved regulations. Compared to the previous period (2024/2025) with 92 culled wolves out of 125 approved, a slightly lower cull rate is evident, which may indicate changed population dynamics or cantonal capacities.
The core metric of success lies in pack development: After the 2025/2026 phase, 30 fully resident packs in Switzerland and 10 transboundary packs were counted. The previous phase (2024/2025) ended with 36 packs in total (25 national, 11 transboundary). This represents a decline of 4 packs despite continuous immigration – an indication of slowed population dynamics. However, BAFU warns that this trend can only be confirmed with statistical certainty after several additional cycles.
Herd protection is presented as a decisive multiplier. After peak damage in 2022, damage reports declined in subsequent years and are now approaching 2020/2021 values – a time with 10–15 packs. This decline is explicitly attributed to expanded protective measures (financial support, technical improvements) and parallel population regulation. The proportion of failed culls remained low and corresponds to the level of previous phases, indicating careful implementation by the cantons.
Key Statements
- The exponential growth of the wolf population has been slowed by three preventive regulation cycles, but not stopped.
- The number of packs increased from 35 (2023/2024) to 40 (2025/2026), representing a significantly reduced increase compared to earlier trends.
- Herd protection measures are equally weighted with population regulation: damage reduction correlates with both interventions.
Critical Questions
Evidence: How is the causality between regulation and slowed pack increase isolated from natural factors (food availability, immigration patterns)?
Data Quality: Are pack counts based on standardized methodology across all three phases, or can differences in survey methods distort trends?
Conflicts of Interest: To what extent do cantonal hunting and agricultural interests influence BAFU's approval practices in setting regulation quotas?
Feasibility: What capacities (personnel, training) do cantons have available to fully implement approved cull quotas, and where do bottlenecks arise?
Alternatives: Were non-lethal alternatives (deterrence, habitat management) evaluated in parallel, or is regulation the focus?
Long-Term Stability: At what pack number would BAFU consider regulation measures successfully concluded?
Sources
Primary Source: Wolf Population Regulation: Report on the 2025/2026 Regulation Period – Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), 18.05.2026
Supplementary Resources:
- BAFU: Wolf – Topic portal of the Federal Office for the Environment
Verification Status: ✓ 18.05.2026
This text was created with the support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Check: 18.05.2026