Graubünden shoots 17 wolves as cull targets 61
Wednesday 7th October 2026 on 14:45 in
Switzerland
Authorities in Graubünden, a Swiss canton, shot 17 wolves in September, the first month of this year’s regulation period, SRF reports. Seven were killed by hunters authorised by the canton and 10 by game wardens. A total of 61 wolves are due to be shot by the end of January.
Wolf packs are now present in almost all parts of the canton, and officials have confirmed young in 18 packs this year. At least 88 wolf pups were recorded. About two-thirds, or roughly 56, are intended to be killed as part of preventive regulation, along with five adult wolves from two packs.
Arno Puorger, head of the canton’s large carnivore division, told SRF that wolf numbers in Graubünden are higher than at any point in about 150 years. The regulation will continue until the end of January. As young wolves grow, they become harder to distinguish from adults, although kills could become easier if wolves move closer to settlements.
The canton’s annual high hunt has also ended. Hunters killed about 2,900 red deer, around 400 to 500 fewer than usual, while the numbers of chamois and roe deer shot met expectations. The cantonal hunting and fishing office attributed the lower red deer total mainly to unusually warm September weather, which kept many animals at higher elevations or in wildlife protection zones.
Other cantons have also authorised or carried out wolf culls. In St Gallen, 10 young wolves from the Schilt and Calanda packs were authorised for shooting; eight have been killed, including three from the Calanda pack by Graubünden authorities. A sick wolf was also shot in spring.
Valais recorded 11 wolf kills between January and early October, with further permits in place or requested for several packs. Glarus has reported one kill and issued another permit. In Central Switzerland, Uri reported two kills, in Meiental and near Silenen, while Schwyz reported one young wolf killed. A permit to shoot three more young wolves in Wägital remains valid until the end of January.
Hunting in cantons that use hunting districts continues until December, so further wolf kills are possible. Graubünden’s target of 61 accounts for a substantial share of Switzerland’s planned wolf regulation this year.