Hiking with wine, wolves, cows, guard dogs
September to late October: the perfect time of year to hike trails in the higher Swiss Alps, wild areas above the tree line before the risk of snow is too great. (What better wine is there than a bottle, or better yet for carrying, a half-bottle briefly chilled in an Alpine stream above 2000 m, preferably with alpine cheese and air-dried slivered alpine meat, after a few hours of hiking?)
Do check the weather and your skills level before setting off on the red and white marked trails. BFU/BPA, the safety and prevention council, has an online quiz that lets you determine if you’re ready for these hikes. They’re involved because more than 33,000 people are injured annually while hiking in Switzerland.
Critically important, please adopt good behaviour — the kind that is about safety, not manners. Bears, wolves and lynx are returning to Switzerland. They are important to the balance of nature in the Alps, yet their numbers remain small and it’s crucial that we play our part to ensure that cohabitation works.
The number of wolves in Switzerland has grown: from 2012 to 2022, wolf packs returned, but there are still only 16 of these groups countrywide. The first Engadine pack in 100 years, with four cubs, was just identified in early September.
While you’re unlikely to meet one, you could well meet the dogs defending herds of sheep and goats from wolves, although many animals will be heading down from the high alps, the désalp in French (see events, below) this weekend. The dogs are workers, not pets, and it’s important to respect this.
Be aware that some 20,000 km of Swiss hiking trails are through areas where animals graze. Most common are Swiss cows, from the gentle Swiss browns to fighting cows. Is their fearsome reputation deserved? Yes and no, as with most cows. I’ve lived next door to a small herd of these short legged Val d’Hérens cows for several years. They are smart, have character and yes, they do fight in the pastures. It’s the cows who fight, not bulls, establishing the queen of the herd, the one with the best memory and skills for finding good wild pasture land. Even little calves and heifers like to tussle and lock not-quite horns.
Keep your head when hiking and remember these tips:
Cows
Cows in pastures, how to read them (Fr, Ger, It). Information on these fine animals and their behaviour with tips for hikers from the Swiss cow/cattle producers association (Fr, Ger) and Rando Suisse/Schweiz Wanderwege.
Basics: remember that in general cows are curious and not dangerous so stay calm and stay on the path, but keep your dogs on a short leash, keep your distance, never-ever pet a cow even though Swiss cows all have names, or worse yet pet a calf (protective mothers will leap into action). If cows are blocking the trail, slowly circumvent the herd. Don’t frighten them or turn your back. Recognize menacing gestures. They raise and lower their heads, blow, scratch the ground and bellow. When this happens back off slowly and steadily.
Guard dogs
Wolves, bears and herd guard dogs (joint information project from WWF, Agridea and ProNatura).
You’re far more likely to encounter dogs that protect herds and they are more used to humans than predators. Keep your head and follow this advice from WWF:
- Stay calm if the dog barks and try to go around the herd, disturbing them as little as possible. If the dog continues to bark at you, consider returning the way you came.
- Avoid any provocative moves with your hiking sticks and quick movements. Be sure to keep your own dog on a leash. (If you’re running or on a bike, slow down and walk until you pass the animals.
- Do not try to pet or feed the guard dog. Do not play with it. If it appears to be following you, ignore it.
- If you want to avoid any confrontations with .the dogs — there are 200 of them in 100 pastures in Switzerland — check their current locations on this Suisse Rando map.
Damien Jeannerat, Valais shepherd, with one of his guard dogs — a pet for the family but a highly trained working dog. Claire Jeannerat recounts the family’s transhumance alpine life beautifully on her popular Instagram page.
Bears and wolves
Did you know that a wolf can cover 60 km in 24 hours at a leisurely trot, over passes and through valleys? That they pose no danger to humans despite their fearsome reputation — over 20 years, a wolf expert who investigated all reported attacks in Italy found not a single case of a wolf injuring a human.
Did you know that bears are considered to have possibly the best sense of smell of all animals and will know your whereabouts long before you are aware of them? Both predators are very wary of humans and will keep their distance, although bears, whose diet is normally two-thirds vegetarian, are quick learners and will return to places where humans leave food (pack up your alpine picnic remains and take them home).
Swiss bear basics:
- Check with the cantonal hunting office for information about bears in the area, then stay on trails and keep your dog on a leash.
- Avoid bushes thick with berries and do not head off-trail to areas where mushrooms grow.
- Talk or gently make noise to alert animals to your presence.
- If you come across a bear, stop and stay calm and keep your distance, speak in a normal voice to let it know you’re there while backing off slowly (don’t run), don’t menace the bear with your hiking sticks or by throwing objects or crying out. Do not attract it with food and for safety’s sake, don’t take a photo. If the bear leaves don’t follow it!
- In the extremely rare case of a bear attack, Suisse Rando counsels you to lie on your stomach, protect your throat with your hands or backpack and remember that most such attacks are meant to intimidate — let the bear move 50 m away and then slowly distance yourself. Report the sighting to the authorities.
WWF’s animated cartoons might help you remember these tips. Read their background paper (Fr) with beautiful animal photos to understand why we need to share our hiking space with these animals.
