The province of Gelderland is allowed to shoot wolves with a paintball gun in De Hoge Veluwe National Park to scare them off. That has Central Netherlands court determined on Wednesday in a case between the province and the Fauna Protection Foundation.
The discussion about whether or not to shoot wolves has been going on for some time. In an earlier court case, the province of Gelderland had not sufficiently substantiated why the use of paintball guns would be necessary, according to the judges. In the current final ruling, according to the court, the province has now sufficiently explained why the paintball gun is the best choice to deter wolves. Milder deterrents such as making noise would not be effective enough, while pepper spray can damage the wolves’ eyes.
A wolf expert also determined that at least one of the wolves in the Veluwe exhibits abnormal behavior that could be dangerous to people or other animals. “For example, a female wolf can be seen who allows herself to be approached by photographers, but also seeks out cyclists and hikers herself. She is becoming increasingly brutal,” the court said. The judges say that “the interests of public safety” therefore outweigh the prevention of disturbing the animals.