Diana Hérens - The Wolf

In size, the wolf resembles a German shepherd, but is taller-legged and slimmer, with a slightly shorter tail and less pointed ears. Their fur is grayish-beige and their muzzle is light. Wolves are highly adaptable, but generally prefer areas not frequented by humans, and are usually very discreet. Isolated wolves do, however, occasionally approach residential areas.

 

BEHAVIOR AND DIET

The wolf's preferred prey is deer, roe deer, chamois and, more rarely, wild boar (marcassins/russeted beasts), but small animals such as hares, marmots, foxes and small rodents are also part of its food spectrum. Its attacks on livestock can generate major conflicts.

As with other canids (fox, marten), fleeing animals trigger the death instinct in wolves too.
wolf too. If the opportunity arises, it will kill more animals than it can eat. This "surplus kill" makes sense in the wild, as the wolf doesn't know when it will succeed in capturing its next prey.

 

DISTRIBUTION, NUMBERS AND POPULATION DYNAMICS

Wolves normally live in packs, which are relatively small in the Alps, consisting of the adult couple and the current and previous year's young. Packs live nomadically in a home territory averaging 200 km2 and travel around 30 km a day.

 

WOLF MONITORING

In areas where the presence of wolves is significant or prolonged, the Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife Department carries out monitoring using photographic traps. By 2021, more than 30 individuals have been genetically identified in Valais.
SCPF/SW

DID YOU KNOW?

In Valais, the first wolf was formally identified in 1995 and the first pack was certified in
2016.