The Wolf Area Committee recognizes that movable wolf grids with five or six wires do not work sufficiently in the habitat of the wolf pack in the Drents-Friese Wold. That is the outcome of a meeting of the Drenthe wolf committee.
Last weekend, RTV Drenthe reported that wolves in January managed to get through a wolf-resistant fence approved in accordance with the BIJ12 standards several times. This concerns four attacks on sheep at Stefan Worst from Vledder and four attacks on the Oenema family from Wittelte. The Wolf Commission confirms these cases.
An attack in Amen was also announced via RTV Drenthe; the BIJ12 appraiser wrote in the preliminary appraisal report that this concerned a well-placed fence.
First of all, Harry Oosterman, chairman of the Wolf Area Committee in Drenthe, would like to emphasize how much he sympathizes with the sheep farmers whose wolves have managed to get through their five- or six-wire grids several times in the past month. “It is very sad for those involved. They have committed themselves with heart and soul.”
Stefan Worst is participating in a pilot for the province of Drenthe. He is seen as a pioneer in Drenthe. Sheep farmers can register for the pilot and Worst will then install the grid with the material they have purchased. Drenthe wolf consultant Jaap Mekel then checks whether the grid has been placed correctly. It is then up to the sheep farmer himself to continue to check the grid.
Eight of the nine wolf attacks within a wolf-resistant grid occurred in the pack’s habitat in the Drents-Friese Wold, although DNA research has yet to definitively prove this.
“A movable fence with wires does not work sufficiently in this area. But we have no indications that fixed grids or flexi nets with mesh do not work,” says Oosterman.
A disadvantage of wolf-resistant grids with mesh is that small animals cannot get through and that sheep can become entangled in them. It is also more difficult to maintain tension, as the wolf committee knows.
The Drenthe Wolf Commission proposes that an accelerated DNA analysis be carried out as standard for damage reports within an approved wolf-resistant grid. Then it would be clear within a few weeks instead of a few months which individual it was. And that is necessary to possibly identify a ‘problem wolf’. That is a wolf that manages to get through a well-placed wolf-resistant grid several times in a short time.
The Drenthe Wolf Commission also believes it is high time for a guideline to be introduced on how to deal with such a problem wolf. Gelderland wants to be able to intervene if a wolf attacks well-protected livestock twice within a week. Then shooting should be possible within a radius of one kilometer, without prior DNA research into which wolf it was, according to the province of Gelderland. The Provincial Council of Gelderland will discuss this plan further at the end of February.
Today the Interprovincial Consultation (IPO) discussed whether and how to intervene in the event of repeated attacks on well-protected livestock. Because the situation varies greatly from province to province, it is up to the provinces themselves to draw up such a guideline. The IPO first wants to study practical tests and research before a joint approach is made.
The province of Drenthe cannot yet provide a substantive response to the proposals of the Wolf Commission and the outcome of the IPO consultation.
Stefan Worst’s pilot continues. He continues to place grids with wires in the pack’s habitat in Central Drenthe. “We cannot let other sheep farmers down with the grids that are now in place and need to be cleared or moved.” He himself will try to keep the wolf out in the Drenthe Friese Wold with a mesh grid of 1.45 meters high. All his sheep are currently indoors.
On February 7, the Drenthe Wolf Commission will hold an information meeting for cattle farmers about installing wolf-resistant fences in Wapse. 60 registrations were received from all over the province. That is the highest number since the first meeting for sheep farmers in November 2022.