Switzerland fired the official starting gun on a five-month-long wolf cull on 1 September. Several cantons have applied to kill young wolves and their elders, as well as to wipe out numerous whole packs. If approved by the federal authorities, the cantons will be able to commence with the slaughter, thanks to controversial legislative changes that allow for a dramatic reduction of the country’s fragile wolf population.
Switzerland’s actions are illustrative of a wider trend. Previously hunted to near extinction in Europe, wolf populations have rebounded in recent decades. But as wolf numbers have crept up, the same demonisation and persecution that has plagued the species for eternity has crept back in.
However, there are now obstacles to killing the maligned canine, not least the legal protections that have helped to pull wolves back from the brink. So the current war on wolves is being fought on many fronts, with science, democracy, and the iconic canines, all getting hammered in the process.
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Image via Tom Bech / Wikimedia, cropped to 1000×620, licensed under CC BY 2.0
