Wölfe im Taminatal

Extinct at the end of the 19th century, the wolf has been protected in Switzerland since 1982 and has been migrating from France and Italy to Switzerland since 1995 and is also spreading naturally in Glarus.

Food supply and habitat

Thanks to the forest area, which is now 30% again in the canton of Glarus, as well as the high population of red deer and roe deer, the wolf finds retreat areas as well as sufficient food here.

The wolves that have immigrated to Switzerland are now reproducing. They live in territories from which young animals migrate at the age of 2 years to form their own packs. 

A pair of wolves was also able to reproduce at Calanda for the first time in 2012. This created the first wolf pack in Switzerland in about 150 years, which became known as the Calanda pack. It used a grazing area around the Calanda, which also included the Tamina valley and reached in the west at times to about Flims.

The evolution of wolf packs

The pair reproduced annually from 2012 to 2018. At least five puppies were born in 2018. The last time the two parent wolves were seen was in January 2020. Already then they had reached an above-average age for wild wolves. Whether the pack and the territory were taken over by a juvenile is unclear.

The vast majority of the born young animals have emigrated, so they have left the pack. It is believed that a new pack formation immediately west of the Calanda south of the Ringelspitz in the Surselva. The appearance of the Calanda pack in Weisstannental in autumn 2018 indicates the shift of territorial boundaries and thus the formation of a new pack. However, this pack descended from the Calanda pack is known as the Stagias pack settled in the Surselva.

Further information about the wolf packs in Switzerland can be found under https://www.gruppe-wolf.ch/Rudel.htm

Living together with the wolf

The presence of the wolf strengthens the populations of native species, as e.g. the fitness of its prey populations improves when sick or weak animals fall victim to the wolf. In addition, deer and roe deer distribute better in the forests and chamois retreat from the forest into steep rock faces. Both have a positive effect on our protection forests, as there is less damage to the trees.

Wolves avoid humans and pose no danger to us. To keep it that way, we must not lure them into our villages with food. Livestock farmers must protect their animals against wolves again, which is especially true for flocks of sheep. For this reason, herd guard dogs are used again on many sheep alps.

Wolf stories at the Kunkelspass

The Kunkelspass is known for its wolves insofar as individual animals or even entire packs have been spotted here several times.

The Berggasthaus Überuf am Kunkelspass invites you to linger and surrounded by celebrities: Right in front of your nose is the Calanda with its wolves and the Ringelspitz invites you to climb. From the Kunkelspass, countless hiking trails lead through UNESCO World Heritage Tectonic Arena Sardona, with the chance to discover the traces of the native wolves on your own!