Government receives death threats over wolf hunting

– Government receives death threats over wolf hunting

Albert Rösti’s department staff are severely intimidated. Farmers and animal rights activists blame each other. When the wolf pack splits.

Posted at 2:00 PM today

Wolves are polarized. A case involving the staff of the Minister of the Environment illustrates this. The Federal Ministry of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), including the Federal Councillor UDC Albert Rosti The director received “numerous intimidation” and “sometimes severe” during the revision of hunting regulations. DETEC means “death threats.”

The information appears in an 11-page document dated July 25. The article was written and published by the Federal Data Protection and Transparency Officer, but no comments are available on his website. This is an ongoing arbitration procedure between the individual and the General Secretariat of DETEC.

Relaxing wolf protections

The Federal Council decided in early November that the states could implementPreventive injections Supervision from 1^yes In December, before the wolves could do any harm. Given the strong population growth, Bern wants to reduce its numbers to a manageable level and has proactively reduced the number of packs from 32 to 12. In 2020, there are 11 in Switzerland.

Environmental groups strongly criticized the decision, not only because of the restrictions, which in their eyes were too low, but also the new filming rules. They also questioned the fact that Albert Rosti had renounced ordinary consultations. His project also sparked criticism within the government, especially from the Federal Chancellery and the Federal Office of Justice.

Blame decision makers

The person clearly disagrees with the minister’s approach. On November 23, 2023, he requested access to the documents related to the decision of the DETEC General Secretariat under the Transparency Act. He particularly wanted to know “who was responsible for the threshold of twelve wolf packs and how we arrived at this number”. What exactly was the role of the General Secretariat, headed by Yves Bichsel, a friend and confidant of Albert Rösti?

Citing transparency laws, the person demanded that DETEC disclose the names of people who had influence over the case, but the department did not do so in light of the threats. In view of the “hostile” atmosphere, the protection of the individuals concerned was considered a priority. Apart from the name Albert Rösti, no personal data was disclosed, which the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Transparency only partially approved.

When we asked, DETEC did not answer our questions about who the death threats were directed at. It also did not specify what other forms of pressure might have been present, or whether there were any clues that could identify the author.

Death threats have been made

In fact, as early as the spring, the federal councillors received anonymous death threats. Stickers circulated in Bern with the message “Albert Rosti will be killed, just in case”. DETEC called it a “vulgar act”. Due to the lack of clues, the call for violence remains irrelevant. The proceedings against the unidentified perpetrators have been suspended.

Swiss citizens reject amendments Hunting Law 2020. It couldn’t be easier to shoot wolves, and the states don’t authorize the preventive shooting that the Federal Council has just allowed. Friends of the wolf feel aggrieved. The Loup Suisse Group has received a large number of letters on this topic. “These people feel ignored as citizens because politics has taken precedence over popular decisions,” explains David Gerke, the head of the organization. As a result, they have lost faith in political institutions. “This is not good for democracy.”

It is not clear whether the death threats received by DETEC will lead to legal action or whether the latter has filed a complaint.

Swiss Farmers Union president Markus Ritter skeptical of animal rights activists

On a political level, the incident has attracted widespread attention. Markus Ritter, a national councillor at the Centre and president of the Swiss Farmers’ Union, suspects that the culprits are on the side opposed to the shooting, since Albert Rosti’s decision made it possible to intensify the wolf hunt. “The environmental protection associations bear a great deal of responsibility.” For many years, these have glorified the wolf.

However, it is a great predator. He often hunts and kills other animals. According to the elected farmer, this is expected to soon lead to conflicts in a small country like Switzerland, but environmental organizations have largely ignored it. “That is why the reaction of conservationists (who may be in big cities) is completely disproportionate.”

Rebuke from wolf friends

Biologists and wolf defenders see it differently. “Unfortunately, we are seeing that the opponents of the wolf have lost all inhibitions at the same time on a political level.” The new hunting law has not even been fully implemented yet, and Albert Rosti’s controversial decree will be amended again at the beginning of 2025.

But instead of being moderated and evaluating its effectiveness over a few years, the new hunting law has already introduced new demands for strengthening. “We continue to add fuel to the fire and argue,” said David Gerke, referring to Markus Ritter, who this week called for a relaxation of the rules allowing shooting at the Flume Mountain Ranch.

Friends of the wolf pack also face threats and insults. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s pretty calm at the moment,” revealed the president of the Loup Suisse Group. But last winter, there were also incidents against employees of other organizations, which was regrettable. “It develops in waves and also depends on the mood of public opinion.” But this polarization is not good for anyone. “Neither the wolves nor the breeders.”

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