Fear of wolves remains

A successful alpine summer comes to an end

A real "Älpler": Josef Türtscher

(Bild: Josef Türtscher)

40,000 head of cattle are being driven back down into the valley from 520 mountain pastures these days - around 1,000 alpine farmers can be very satisfied with this season.  

40,000 head of cattle, 50,000 hectares, 520 alps and 1,000 herdsmen: these are the key figures when it comes to alpine farming, which plays a special role in Vorarlberg. The alpine summer is coming to an end these days and the animals are being driven back to their home farms, where they will spend the winter. Around a third of all dairy cows in Vorarlberg can spend the summer on the alpine pastures - a special feature, as Josef Türtscher from the Vorarlberg Alpine Farming Association emphasizes.

Life on the alp is not always idyllic, but also arduous and sometimes dangerous - and productive: among other things, Vorarlberg alp cheese is made here.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

A co-creator of the typical Vorarlberg alpine cheese

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

The tradition of three-phase farming - dividing the agricultural year into periods on the farm, on the pasture and on the alp - has shaped the region, including the landscape. "A lot depends on alpine farming, such as tourism or the maintenance of the recreational area for locals," says Türtscher, who is himself a farmer in the Großes Walsertal. Without them, the Alps would slowly but surely become overgrown, leading to so-called scrub encroachment.

Landscape maintenance is a team effort. The cattle graze large areas and are therefore specialists in rough grazing, while sheep and goats in particular also consume leftover fodder that is spurned by cows. Small livestock are also more agile, lighter, more sure-footed and generally better equipped for alpine terrain - the perfect mowers on steep terrain. Horses, donkeys and occasionally even alpacas also help to maintain meadows and alpine pastures.

There used to be white Alps
This year's season was satisfactory, says Türtscher: "Fortunately, we were spared extreme weather events. In the past, it was not uncommon to drive the animals back down from the Alps because there was suddenly snow again. Although the start of the season was quite rainy, which did not provide ideal conditions for the feed supply, the grass quickly grew back.

Vorarlberg alp cheese is a big seller

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

Every year, alp cheese is tasted and awarded prizes in Schwarzenberg.

(Bild: Alexandra_Serra)

But one thing casts an ever-lengthening shadow over the Alps from season to season: the increase in encounters between wolves and livestock. "The wolf is actually the biggest worry for us alpine farmers. Every kill is one too many and causes concern, but this year the number of kills was not that high. But what really worries us are the kills of large animals." Türtscher fears that more and more farmers may refrain from letting their cows into the mountains for fear of wolf predation. What's more, the visits of the predator also get to the herdsmen and not least the surviving animals: "The herd becomes restless, animals fall off in panic," explains Türtscher. That's why it's very clear to him: "It's not the wolf that's in danger, but traditional alpine farming in Vorarlberg."

Settlement area unsuitable for the wolf
In this context, he refers to the large wolf populations around Vorarlberg. "We are no longer talking about an animal that is dying out. The area here is too densely populated for the wolf. I am hopeful that the absolute protection status will be revised at European level," he says.

When the wolf that caused several cattle kills this year was killed on the Kanisfluh, there was a certain amount of reassurance among the alpine farmers, but "you can't be sure on any day". Türtscher is also convinced that the wolf will increasingly lose its fear of humans if there are no regular culls. "I have a whole bunch of grandchildren and I don't want to imagine wolves sneaking through the village like foxes."