In Uri the Wind turns against the Wolf

If the sender ALAUri appears on the phone display, then the pulse of Felix Jauch chases. The URI's sheep farmers will be nervous. Wolf alarm. "A wolf tore at two sheep, Seelisberg", is in the SMS. Or: "Wolf Nd, Schwa."

Jauch ratio with the Predator is loaded. 2015 crack him the Wolf 15 sheep from the herd. This Sunday, three and a half years later, Uri on the Wolf, "regulation of Large carnivores" is the name of the Initiative. Jauch is in the vote fight, he holds lectures, he mounted from Göschenen to Flüelen posters and writes to 5.57 PM short messages to journalists in order to convince them of his cause.

Jauch is a level-headed man and takes the time to his sentences. But it's about the Wolf, then he has the feeling that the time over him. His nightmare scenario: today, there are approximately 50 wolves in Switzerland, spread more, be more in the pack of active and penetrate in the villages. "Then can stop so good with the sheep," he says.

laughs First, and now is the lead

Jauch aversion to the Wolf is older, his skepticism he did for the first time ten years ago, kund and was laughed at. The has changed. It took an evening in the Restaurant, Uri Rotstock in Isenthal in the year 2015, says Jauch. A dozen men, hunters and sheep farmers, sitting around a table, full of frustration, full of anger. You curse at the Wolf, which is again attacked once on their flocks. Do you want to do something, but nobody wants to get involved. Until one stands up. Felix Jauch. Shortly thereafter, he founded a community of interests against the Large predators, against the Wolf, the lynx and the bear. The thing gets momentum.

URI's politicians realise the political potential, an Initiative will be launched. She wants to adopt a constitutional entry that obliges the Canton to regulations concerning the limitation of Large carnivores. 3188 citizens to sign the request, almost ten percent of URI's population.

The opponents to the WWF, the SP and the Greens call the Initiative a "symbolic politics", Yes, ineffective. In fact, the Confederation and not the cantons is determined on the wolf hunt. There are clear rules: Tears of a Wolf more than 25 sheep in a month, may give it to the Federal government to shoot down. In the URI, which was twice the case in 2015 and 2016. Jauch and colleagues say the administration is wolf-friendly, and verschleppe the Decisions. It is this Sunday about a character, also to secure the vote. Loose the Federal rules, the URI thanks to an already prepared against the Wolf.

Jauch likes his sheep

The Wolf is Jauch not so dissimilar. He lives in monogamous, sedentary, and has a weakness for sheep. It's 17.30 PM and Friday, Jauch wearing Gnägi and cap, he must feed his sheep. He likes you. He has given them names. Bianca Berna, Brotlisi. Jauch feeds in the evening, his wife in the morning. During the week he works in the management of a Urner of social insurance. The weekend is the sheep. In June, he sends his animals to the end of September on its Alp, up to 400 sheep summer grazing high above Seedorf. Then he must have been scared again. The Wolf.

manure is a type of person that counts, breeding the man-days of his sheep. Before the Wolf was here, there were approximately 120 days of work. Now, there are more than 300. "This is crazy," he says. The increase was due Jauch with the herd protection measures. The fences are working. "And hardly anything," says Jauch. The Wolf learn fast, skip the fences of 130 centimeters height and to leave from power surges don't stop. So fond of Jauch two livestock guardian dogs. 70 kilograms, gross, scary, but also full of side effects. They make the walkers anxiety. Another fence needs to be ran in order for the tourists to go around his Alp. One Kilometre To The Hag. Days full of work.

The Wolf is not Jauch so dissimilar. He lives in monogamous, sedentary, and has a weakness for sheep.

Jauch completed tax returns of Acquaintances. You will pay with a day of volunteer work on the Alp. So he can lift the man-days. There were suddenly several Hundred wolves, he would have to pack up fencing in the sheep every evening, Jauch gasps: "Then can." Means for him: The Tradition of Alpine farming would be in danger.

Gabor von Bethlenfalvy, the wolf is an expert of the WWF in Switzerland. He says that the WWF for the breeders at the onset. You can get technical and financial help in the protection measures, the WWF supports the use of volunteers on the Alp. "Although today there are more wolves, not increases, the proportion of the torn animals," says Bethlenfalvy. Now, if sheep farmers are calling for increased firing, it was "the ineffektivste method", in order to protect the sheep, says the WWF-staff.

Valais congratulations on the launch

The Wolf polarized and combines. The Valais sent the Urnern a congratulations letter to the "Urner Zeitung", after the URI of 2016 had shot a Wolf. Was accompanied the congratulations with the trailer, you may send the Valais hunters in the Canton of URI country that could learn something there. And in September, a sheep farmer inflamed in the whole of Europe Mahnfeuer because of the wolf, also made Jauch. Only, are banned in the Canton of Uri Mahnfeuer. So illuminated Jauch with three lights in the night sky. Stupid was there, only that fog was above the URI valley floor – and hardly anyone noticed.

Visible political commitment against the Wolf, but more and more. The Wind has turned. The Swiss wolf opponents want fewer wolves in General, lower launch hurdles and cantonal autonomy in Particular. But much of it is expressly forbidden, the Wolf in Europe the Status of "highly protected". The Valais look eager to see how the URI to the vote, you have begun a similar Initiative. Currently, the Federal hunting act revision. The Council of States has loosened the law already and the cantons, more freedoms are granted, it should be possible in the future to reduce the number of protected animal species. Now, the national Council must advise about it. Isidor Baumann, URI, CVP-Ständerat and sheep farmers, is confident that the law comes through. If this happens, the WWF threatened with the Referendum.

"Who is not affected, hardly deals with it. This applies in many areas of life,"Felix Jauch

It is a Europe wide Trend. More and more politicians to take on the wolf theme, the opponents call it populism. The discussion is about a perceived danger and the question of how seriously this must be taken. In the sense of: species protection the Welfare of the people? Or Vice-versa?

Jauch has made this a lot of thought. "Who is not affected, hardly deals with it. This applies in many areas of life," he says, and compares it with the aircraft noise. He as a URI, the Concerns of the Klotener don't know. It's a similar act with the Wolf. So he didn't understand it at all, if city-dwellers to shake him in the head.

The rifle out of the closet

Also in other countries, wants to facilitate the launch. Only this will be handled differently. In Italy is poached. Illegal. In Sweden and Finland, the governments allow some wolf hunting. The result is that warnings of the EU Commission. Switzerland has now requested that the Status of the wolf is reduced from "very protected" to "protected". So that the Wolf would be on the same level as the ibex and the marmot. Still, the Euro has to make a decision.

But it was only Uri. The opinions do not appear to have been made, the letters pages are one-sided (against the Wolf), once the competent SP-councillor (for the Wolf) attributed to a rejection of the Initiative.

Jauch sitting at his dining room table, he has documents retrieved from the science, "clever people", the Wolf in question. "In the end it's a question of whether you are allowed to protect his property," says Jauch and told that he'll get the rifle out of the closet, when it come to the crunch. What his wife calls out that he is a hopeless case, and I certainly didn't meet. Jauch, understands the Wolf, it's no Fun, starts to laugh. He knows that sometimes, a political push is more effective than any rifle.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 07.02.2019, 10:48 PM