Animals - EU Commission wants to lower protection status for wolves
The European Commission wants to relax the strict protection rules for wolves. The proposal is to lower the status of the wolf from "strictly protected" to "protected", the Brussels authority announced on Wednesday. This would allow the hunting of wolves to be approved if it does not endanger the conservation of populations.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the return of the wolf was good news for biodiversity in Europe. However, the density of wolf packs in some European regions has now become a real threat, particularly for livestock farming.
Von der Leyen referred to an analysis published at the same time, which shows that wolf populations have increased considerably over the last two decades and are colonizing ever larger areas. According to the analysis, there are now more than 20,000 wolves with mostly growing populations and expanding home ranges as well as packs with pups in 23 member states.
More than 1000 wolf attacks in Germany
With the proposal to lower the protection status for wolves, the EU Commission is responding in particular to the demands of livestock owners and farmers. They have been pointing to increasing problems for a long time. According to a report, the number of wolf attacks on livestock in Germany alone rose significantly last year to more than 1000 cases. More than 4000 farm animals were killed or injured.
It remained unclear on Wednesday whether the German government would support the initiative. At the beginning of the year, Environment Minister Steffi Lemke had spoken out clearly against lowering the protection status for wolves and pointed out, among other things, that the shooting of individual conspicuous wolves is already possible today under certain conditions.
Around three weeks ago, the federal and state environment ministers agreed that problematic wolves that have climbed over protective fences and killed livestock can be killed in Germany much more quickly than before. Unlike before, it will not be necessary to wait for a DNA analysis first.
Environment Minister warns against demonization
In an interview with the German Press Agency shortly before the EU proposal, Lemke warned against demonizing the wolf. "It is the closest relative of one of our favorite pets, the dog, and therefore we should not act as if the wolf is garbage and can go away," said the Green politician. A balance must be struck between livestock grazing and the fact that the wolf has re-established itself in Germany.
Shortly before this, a walker may have been attacked by a wolf in Brandenburg last week. According to police reports on Thursday, the 47-year-old was walking his dog in a wooded area when he came across the animal. It attacked the dog. When the man intervened, he was bitten several times and sustained serious injuries. Genetic tests are now to clarify whether the man was actually attacked by a wolf.
Proposal needs broad support
In order to implement the EU Commission's proposal, at least 15 of the 27 EU member states would have to agree to it as a first step. At the same time, however, they must together represent at least 65% of the total population of the EU. In the next step, the proposal would then also have to be submitted to the other parties to the so-called Berne Convention. This is intended to ensure the conservation of European wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats throughout Europe and beyond.
Environmental and nature conservation organizations such as BUND, Nabu and WWF criticized the EU Commission's approach on Wednesday and called for herd protection to be improved. "All scientific studies prove that the number of livestock kills depends on the quality of livestock protection and not on the number of wolves," said BUND chairman Olaf Band.
Commission President von der Leyen expressed optimism on Wednesday that solutions could be found to protect not only biodiversity, but also the livelihood of the rural population. The politician herself had a sad experience with an animal in the past. In September 2022, a gray wolf tore down her 30-year-old pony Dolly at her home in Lower Saxony.
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Source: www.stern.de
