Wolves in Switzerland: What's happening right now – and what we often mistakenly believe

Anyone following the discussions surrounding the wolf in Switzerland quickly realizes: it's not just about facts. It's about emotions, interests, preconceived notions, and the question of who nature actually belongs to. Yet, precisely now, something else would be important: a calm, honest, and precise look at what is actually happening.

This article aims neither to incite fear nor to harden fronts. It aims to contextualize. It aims to inform. And it aims to encourage people to see the wolf in Switzerland not just as a headline, but as part of a larger whole.

What is currently happening in Switzerland

Today, the wolf lives again in large parts of the Swiss Alpine region. KORA states that in the 2025/26 monitoring year, the presence of 43 packs was confirmed – two more than in the previous year. Of these, 32 packs lived entirely in Switzerland, and 11 were transboundary. Three packs are already considered to have disbanded during the year. In total, 153 pups have been observed so far.

At the same time, wolf regulation in Switzerland is no longer a minor issue. Since the revised hunting law came into force on February 1, 2025, wolves can be regulated reactively (June 1 to August 31) and proactively (September 1 to January 31) under certain conditions. Cantons must obtain approval from the FOEN beforehand.

The numbers are impressive: In the second regulation period (September 2024 to January 2025), the FOEN approved the culling of approximately 125 wolves. The cantons preventively shot 92 wolves – almost exclusively before any damage had occurred. A large proportion of these were pups. In the previous year (2023/24), 55 animals were killed. Switzerland is thus carrying out one of the most intensive wolf regulations in Europe.

The FOEN itself states in its analysis report of May 2025 that neither the long-term population development nor the effects of regulation on wolf behavior can be assessed after two periods. KORA is conducting a dedicated research project on the effects of lethal management from 2025–2029. Switzerland is therefore running an ongoing experiment – with an open outcome.

What a wolf's life in Switzerland really looks like

The wolf here does not live in an untouched wilderness. It lives in a landscape heavily used by humans: Alps, Pre-Alps, Jura, grazing areas, traffic routes, tourism areas, agriculture. KORA describes that confirmed wolf sightings are now available from all cantons and that the species has returned naturally from Italy and France since the 1990s. The first pack formed in 2012 in the Calanda area in Graubünden.

At the same time, the wolf in Switzerland is exposed to considerable dangers itself. KORA explicitly states that most wolves in Switzerland die by human hands. The most common known cause of death is authorized culling; other important causes are traffic and illegal culling. The FOEN report on regulations also documented that three lynxes and one livestock guardian dog were accidentally killed during culling operations.

How dangerous is the wolf really for humans?

Many deep-seated images circulate about the wolf. However, official and expert sources paint a much more sober picture.

KORA states that since the natural return of the wolf to Switzerland in 1995, no case of an intrusive or aggressive wolf has been reported. Problematic behavior primarily becomes relevant if a wolf loses its shyness towards humans – for example, by being fed – or if it is provoked or cornered. The FOEN also distinguishes four behavioral categories in its "Wolf Switzerland" concept: from "harmless" to "conspicuous" and "undesirable" to "problematic". A healthy wild wolf generally poses no danger to humans. However, absolute safety is never guaranteed with wild animals – especially if an animal loses its shyness towards humans, is fed, provoked, or cornered.

International assessments also support the classification that wolf attacks in Europe and North America are very rare, and that problematic cases are often related to habituation – i.e., becoming accustomed to humans or human food sources.

However, a recent incident in Hamburg at the end of March 2026 shows that, in rare exceptional situations, injuries to humans can still occur. According to authorities, a woman was injured by a wolf in a shopping arcade there. According to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, this was the first such case in Germany since the return or establishment of the wolf. How exactly the injury occurred was not yet fully clarified in all details in the first publicly available reports.

This does not mean that wolves should be romanticized. A wolf is a wild animal. Distance, respect, and correct behavior remain important. But it does mean that the often conveyed notion of a great immediate threat to humans cannot be maintained in such a sweeping manner.

What dog owners should know

For everyone who is out and about in nature with a dog – and this directly concerns the Smoffy community – a specific question arises: What does the return of the wolf mean for everyday life with a dog?

The most important news first: wolf encounters while walking are extremely rare. Wolves are shy animals and generally avoid the proximity of humans – whether with or without a dog. The probability of encountering a livestock guardian dog on a hike is many times greater than encountering a wolf.

Nevertheless, there is an important difference: wolves can perceive free-roaming dogs as intruders into their territory or even as potential prey. The canton of Graubünden explicitly states in its wolf information sheet that dogs in wolf areas should be kept under personal control or on a leash. CHWOLF recommends the same.

The overall risk to dogs remains low. But especially as a responsible dog owner, it is worthwhile to be informed – not out of fear, but out of respect. Knowing the rules protects your own dog and at the same time helps prevent unnecessary conflicts between wolves and humans.

The real conflict line: not human against wolf, but handling of livestock

The real core of the debate is not a great danger to hikers. The main conflict lies with livestock, pasture farming, alpine pastures, and livestock protection.

KORA clarifies: the vast majority of livestock killed by wolves are sheep. Larger animals such as cattle or horses are very rarely preyed upon. And: most livestock are killed in unprotected situations.

The figures provide an important context that is almost never mentioned in the debate: According to an NZZ analysis based on KORA data, large carnivores cause only about 6 percent of all sheep deaths during summer grazing in the Alps. Diseases, falls, rockfalls, and lightning strikes are by far the more frequent causes of death. This relativizes nothing – every single loss is a real loss. But it shows how distorted public perception often is.

The FOEN also states clearly: herd protection plays a central role in preventing damage and conflicts as much as possible. At the same time, the prior implementation of effective herd protection measures is a prerequisite for intervening in the wolf population. Herd protection fences and recognized livestock guardian dogs are explicitly mentioned.

What herd protection costs – and why that's important

The wolf is often discussed without specifically talking about protective measures. However, there are clear structures and substantial financial resources for this in Switzerland.

In the ordinary federal credit "Wildlife and Hunting," CHF 7 million are allocated annually for herd protection from 2025 – following an additional credit of CHF 5.7 million in 2022 and expenditures of CHF 7 million in 2023. Specifically, contributions are granted for fence reinforcements (CHF 1.50 per running meter), electric fence devices (CHF 600 flat rate), mobile shelters, material flights, and recognized livestock guardian dogs. The canton of Valais alone is investing over CHF 1.8 million in herd protection measures in 2026 – supplemented by federal funds.

And the effect is evident: In Valais, the number of wolf attacks decreased to 81 in 2025 (previous year: 112). The canton itself confirms that the decline proves the effectiveness of the protective measures. A KORA/Agridea study confirms that in well-guarded herds, livestock depredation occurs significantly less frequently – even if it can never be completely prevented.

This does not mean that every problem is solved. However, it does mean that the debate should not be conducted as if there were only two options – either culling or helplessness. This juxtaposition is too simplistic.

What is rarely discussed: the ecological role of the wolf

While the debate focuses almost exclusively on damages and risks, a central dimension remains largely unnoticed: the wolf as an ecological factor.

The wolf is at the top of the food chain and influences the populations and behavior of wild ungulates – roe deer, red deer, chamois. This has direct effects on the forest: The mere presence of wolves makes wild populations more mobile, causes them to spend less time at individual feeding grounds, and thus reduces browsing pressure on young trees. CHWOLF describes that this allows protective forests to regenerate better – which in turn reduces erosion, avalanches, and floods.

A concrete Swiss example: In the Calanda region, where the first pack settled in 2012, browsing on important tree species such as silver fir, maple, and rowan has significantly decreased in the pack's core area. This is no coincidence – forest research describes this effect as a cascade effect of wolves on forest regeneration via ungulates.

At the same time, research warns against overly simplistic equations: a European study (University of Fribourg, 2023, Journal of Applied Ecology) shows that in cultivated landscapes like Switzerland, human hunting and land use influence wildlife populations significantly more than large carnivores. The wolf alone does not "save the forest" – but it is a relevant, natural factor in the system.

Myths surrounding the wolf

Why this topic needs more honesty

Perhaps that is precisely what is most difficult about the wolf: it forces us to tolerate contradictions.

• We want nature – but controlled.
• We want biodiversity – but please not when it becomes inconvenient.
• We want wilderness – as long as it doesn't challenge us.

The wolf shows that nature is not just a backdrop. It reminds us that not everything is subservient to humans. And perhaps that is precisely what triggers so much resistance.

This does not mean that the concerns of shepherds, farmers, or livestock owners should be downplayed. On the contrary. Those who keep animals have a responsibility. Those who protect need support. Those who are affected deserve to be taken seriously.

But being taken seriously does not automatically mean declaring every regulation self-evident or every killing normal.

What a fair approach to the wolf would mean

A fair approach to the wolf in Switzerland would have to allow for several things simultaneously:

• It would have to acknowledge that livestock protection is genuinely important.
• It would have to accept that the wolf is a wild animal with natural behavior – not a "system error."
• It would have to consistently promote livestock protection, instead of just mentioning it rhetorically.
• It would also have to recognize the wolf's ecological function – for forests, wildlife, and biodiversity.
• It would have to make information openly and clearly accessible.
• And it would have to distinguish between facts, fears, interests, and political evaluations.

Above all, however, it would have to stop pretending that this world belongs only to us.