Before the start of the mountain pasture season

It’s about much more than the death of a sheep!

The first big moment for the sheep this year, all of Thomas Grießer's relatives help

(Bild: Daum Hubert)

During the "Krone" visit to Umhausen it became clear: the wolf not only kills animals, it can fundamentally endanger the way of life of an entire family. The state sets out the roadmap for high-risk wolves.

I am filled with joy on the way to Umhausen because I know what an important day it is for herbivores: the first time they go out to pasture after the winter. Sheep farmer Thomas Grießer has invited me. "He's over there by the fence," points out a man in his mid-thirties.

The first grazing day in the countryside indirectly heralds the new alpine season.

Schafbauer Thomas Grießer

Several people from different generations are working on the farm, I estimate six to eight. A short walk takes me to Thomas. Two teenage girls are helping with the fencing, and two younger boys are also lending a hand. "So many people in the yard?" I ask. Thomas: "Yes, actually always, and today is the first time the sheep have been out to pasture. My siblings, their children and my parents are on the farm. They are happy to help. But my wife and children aren't here today."

Thomas Grießer, also the new chairman of the Tyrolean sheep and goat breeders, keeps 90 Tyrolean mountain sheep and 30 heads of gray cattle on his farm. "The first grazing day in the countryside indirectly heralds the start of the new mountain pasture season," he says happily, but his expression immediately turns serious again: "Once again, we have a bad feeling about the wolf." Suddenly one thing becomes clear to me: it's about much more than dead animals. A way of life is at stake!

Valentin & David open the "night pen" for the "Krone"

(Bild: Daum Hubert)

Sheep in the protective container every night
2023 was a tough "wolf year", especially in Umhausen. Several kills in spring and summer, then the crowning glory: a wolf visit not far from the farm on the valley pasture in October. "We're about to take the sheep to the first pasture over there," Grießer points to the field on the other side of the road. There you can also see a container at the edge of the pasture. He set it up after the tear in October. "To protect the animals, some of which are very valuable, we spend the night in the container, that's how far we've come," says the fanatical sheep farmer.

Now father Günther intervenes: "Last year we experienced a wolf taking game a hundred meters above the pasture. The sheep noticed and went wild for days."

Outsiders, such as the so-called animal rights activists, would have no idea how many facets there are to the problem of predators. Three generations are passionate about sheep farming. "The children are aware of the concerns about the future of farming," says Thomas.

"As soon as a herd forms, it's all over"
Compensation for a killed sheep is nice, but completely uninteresting. They know every animal by name, Thomas even knows the individual bells of 60 animals. Tyrol's sheep farmers want the wolf to be hunted all year round, knowing that this is hardly feasible. Because one thing is clear: if a pack forms, farming in this form is finished. The chairman: "But I would also like to thank the politicians for doing what is legally possible." Herd protection is not possible in high alpine regions, as we know from the leased alpine pasture in Vent. So another summer in the Alps with dispensable tension.

This year, too, we will immediately approve harmful and high-risk wolves for shooting.

LHStv. Josef Geisler

"We will release high-risk wolves for shooting again this year"
Diplomats call it "removal", somewhat braver people call it shooting. For many, it is the only effective means of combating the spread of wolves. Last year, the Tyrolean state government created the possibility of quickly releasing "harmful and high-risk wolves" for shooting. Four of last year's 19 shooting orders were fulfilled by the hunting community. The fact that the number of kills in Tyrol fell significantly in 2023 despite an increase in the number of individuals is a consequence of hunting pressure, according to LHStv. Josef Geisler: "This year, we will also immediately release harmful and high-risk wolves for shooting." There are still no indications of pack formation at the moment. However, a wildlife camera in the district of Innsbruck Land has already photographed a lynx this year.

The wolf is not an endangered species and should be able to be hunted as normal.

LHStv. Josef Geisler

The herd protection pilot projects with controlled grazing and permanent herding on three mountain pastures in the Tyrolean Oberland are also being continued this year. Incidentally, the costs for this very labor-intensive and costly form of herd protection amounted to 133 euros per sheep and alpine pasture season last year. The grazing season in the valleys is just about to begin. "I urgently appeal to livestock owners to protect their home pastures with wolf-repellent electric fences," says Geisler's spring message, "the purchase of the fencing material is supported by the province of Tyrol." Like the vast majority of farmers, the provincial councillor responsible also thinks: "The wolf is not an endangered species and should be able to be hunted as normal." However, many decision-makers think differently!

"Bad news" from Brussels - of course!
LK President Hechenberger is probably a little too optimistic and the "Krone" arm to Brussels is probably a little longer: the fact that the downgrading of the protection status of the wolf from "strictly protected" to "protected" in Brussels is going ahead is unfortunately likely to be misinformation. And the fact that this "upgrade" would have no relevance for Austria anyway because the conservation status of the wolf is "not favorable" should also be communicated. But even if it were "favorable": The Commission's proposal was discussed by a Council working group in February, no decision was made due to a lack of a qualified majority, and the member states are divided in their opinions. Future decisions on this issue will be taken by the Environment Council.

Latest, but still unconfirmed, EU information: there will be no downgrading of the protection status of the wolf, as only two countries are in favor.