Drents deputy Henk Jumelet says it is disappointing that Minister Christianne van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen) does not want to adjust the protection level of the wolf. The province of Drenthe, together with Friesland and Overijssel, had urged this in a letter.
“The high level of protection hinders us in what we can and want to do. We asked for lower protection,” says Jumelet about the wolf’s approach.
The minister has not yet responded to the request. With a lower degree of protection, the provinces have more options for managing the wolf. Van der Wal is awaiting advice from the Council for Animal Affairs and ongoing discussions, before then nothing will change in the wolf’s approach, she says.
Not convenient, says Jumelet. “It’s too slow for us,” he says. “The wolf does not occur in South Holland and Zeeland, but in Drenthe we are dealing with wolf attacks. So you have to look more specifically at areas instead of making policy for the whole of the Netherlands.” He says he thinks it is positive that there is contact with Germany to see what can be arranged at European level, although this is also going too slowly in his opinion.
According to Jumelet, the presence of the wolf is now causing unrest among animal keepers and residents in Drenthe. As far as he is concerned, the province is not suitable as a habitat for the wolf. “It is true that we sent that letter because we deal with attacks by the wolf on all kinds of animals in Drenthe every day: sheep, goats and cattle.”
He therefore has no intention of stopping his lobby. “As far as we are concerned, it has to be done quickly. We will certainly participate in discussions to put forward our point of view. We will continue to lobby for a specific approach in Drenthe.”