Alpine villages say the animals have started approaching children and they need to fend them off.
The idea of wolves living alongside people has become a nightmare for some alpine communities
When the first wolf returned to Switzerland almost 30 years ago, wandering over the border from Italy, environmental groups were delighted. Unlike their predecessors in the Middle Ages who were constantly aware of the danger wolves could pose, today's farmers rarely employ shepherds to keep an eye on their flocks. Even the traditional sheep dog, which can help keep wolves at bay, has gone out of fashion.
Last winter a wolf was spotted watching as children learned to ski. In August, a farmer and her dog were followed by a wolf in canton Grisons and days later the same farmer was followed by three wolves which attacked the dog. Farmers are increasingly impatient. Last year they called a referendum demanding the law be changed to make it easier to hunt and kill problematic wolves. Swiss voters, most of whom live in cities, said no.This young wolf, pictured recently in the Basel area, is the first such urban sighting since wolves were culled a century agoRubber bullets are being used instead of real ones to try to show wolves they are not welcome in populated areas.
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