Deputy Henk Emmens (BBB) says he is satisfied with the measures that State Secretary Silvio Erkens (VVD) is taking against the wolf.
Thanks to these measures, provinces can now more quickly give permission to shoot a wolf that attacks people. Problem wolves can also be shot with a paintball gun. Private individuals such as farmers may scare the wolf away with light and sound; no permit is required for this.
It has previously been agreed in Europe that the wolf has a lower protection status. This means that these types of measures are now possible.
“It gives us more space to tackle problem wolves,” says Emmens. “It provides much more decisiveness and you can intervene earlier. The question is how we will organize it, because we also consult with municipalities about the wolf.”
According to Emmens, the measures can also help against the social unrest surrounding the wolf. “If a wolf comes close to people, you can now shoot the wolf with a paintball gun, then it associates humans with pain. It must become shy of people again and go back into nature, where it belongs.”
Last month, the province of Drenthe raised the alarm with State Secretary Erkens about tackling problem wolves. The province indicated that it wanted to be able to act within 24 hours. This involves deterring, scaring, chasing away or shooting dead.
Agriculture and horticulture organization LTO Noord is pleased with the ‘decisiveness’ of State Secretary Silvio Erkens on the wolf dossier. “This is the breakthrough we have been waiting for for a long time,” says chairman Dirk Bruins of LTO Noord. “With these measures we can move forward.”
The presence of the wolf in rural areas has become an increasing problem in recent years, according to LTO. “I have heard dozens of stories and seen with my own eyes what an attack by a wolf or several wolves does. Untold suffering to animals and people,” says Bruins.
