If you're scary enough to make wolves back away from Swiss sheep flocks, there's a job out there for you. The Organization for the Protection of Alpine Pastures wants to train you to make scary noises.
Switzerland has about 80 wolves, up from zero a few years ago, and they're mostly in the French-speaking cantons. Swiss law protects wolves in most cases from being culled, but sheep farmers are concerned about losses from wolf attacks on sheep and especially lambs.
OPPAL volunteers patrol the areas where attacks might be likely, watching herds at night, and shouting them away. Last year, a hundred volunteers put in 8,000 hours monitoring mountain passes; despite a number of wolf sightings, there were no attacks. The group is looking to double the number of volunteers for this year.
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