Wolf consultant Jaap Mekel from the province of Drenthe thinks that the judge will grant a culling permit for the ‘problem wolf’. Mainly because the wolf entered four times at a location where approved wolf-resistant grids had been installed. “You can take even more measures, but where does it end?” Mekel wonders.
The location where ‘problem wolf’ GW4890m managed to enter four times, in Lheebroek near Beilen, is part of a trial by the province with mobile wolf-resistant grids. It was recently decided to extend this trial for a year, so that more information can be obtained about the operation of the fences in all weather conditions.
At this moment, wolf consultant Mekel does not yet know how the wolf managed to avoid the grids. “We don’t have cameras everywhere, so we can’t see the entire pasture,” says Mekel. “But I do know he didn’t dig under it.”
This was the reason for the provincial government to label this wolf as ‘problem wolf’, so that it could be tracked down and possibly shot.
It is unclear whether the wolf received an electric shock from the grid, or simply did not touch the grid as it entered. According to Mekel, there is also a chance that the wolf did not receive an electric shock because his legs were off the ground when he touched the wire.
To prevent this, you can replace a power wire with a ground wire, but that system is not waterproof either, says Mekel. “You have to have exactly that one moment when a wolf hits both the live wire and the ground wire during the shock.”
It is also possible that the wolf has received a shock, in which case it may be a ‘learning wolf’. “It may be that because of the reward (sheep, ed.) he knows that it hurts next time, but such a wolf ignores the pain if he knows there is a reward,” says Mekel. “It’s an intelligent animal that will most likely continue to do it.”
A test has also been started with flutter ribbons (flutteries). It is not the case that the problem wolf generated the flutter ribbons or jumped over them, because according to Mekel, they were not there yet.
“After we installed these, wolves no longer entered. But you cannot immediately say that the flutter ribbons work. We know from experiences abroad that it only really works for about three weeks. After that, the wolf would get used to it.”
The province is now conducting an almost continuous trial with wolf-resistant grids. Not only to find the best solutions, but also to make it as legally watertight as possible to ensure that sufficient good measures have been taken to keep the wolf out.Fgoede
Mekel: “You can always do more. You can hang nets in it. You can place two more electric wires a little way in front of the grid, so that a wolf cannot take a running start, the grid can be higher and you can work with flash lights. But where does it end? It is sometimes said that it should not become an arms race.”
The wolf consultant calls it fortunate that the ‘problem wolf’ managed to enter four times in the practical test. “This is the least bad place where this could happen, we have everything under control here and we are sure that the grid was in order. At locations outside the practical test, where sheep have broken out, for example, you cannot check whether the grid was closed before the attack and the wires were in place properly.”
Mekel can well imagine that the current measures are sufficient for the court to grant a phasing-out permit. “I think that what is happening now is about the maximum in terms of measures.”
Mekel is in favor of shooting the problem wolf. “Most wolves mainly eat deer. If we get rid of the wolves that keep feeding on sheep, we might find a way to coexist with the wolf.”