‘Getting rid of the wolf is not an option’

LTO Noord’s wish to keep the wolf out in areas where there is too little game does not seem feasible for the time being. “Repelling the wolf is not permitted by law; the wolf is a heavily protected species,” says Jaap Mekel, who recently started advising sheep farmers as a Drentse wolf consultant about wolf-resistant grids. Gijsbert Six of the Platform Small-scale Sheep and Goat Farmers also points out that chasing away and culling is prohibited by law. “You can make a call, but it’s just not allowed,” he says.

The province is the competent authority when it comes to granting permission for management. The January 2019 wolf plan states that a wolf can be killed if it “repeatedly kills well-protected livestock and continues to find ways to overcome preventive measures.” Mekel: “But there are a lot of steps before that. It is a bit crazy to ask for permission to manage the wolf in a press release.”

How many times “repeated” is not defined in the wolf plan. So far there is no conclusive evidence that the same wolf has passed through a well-placed wolf-resistant grid several times. Steps in the wolf plan that must be completed before a wolf can be shot are ‘improving preventive measures and attempting to negatively condition the wolf’. An update to the wolf plan is currently in the works.

According to Six, there is currently a cold clean-up going on among grazing farms. “They stop. In practice it is almost impossible for these types of companies to protect the sheep. They are no longer able to take it emotionally. They go to the sheep every morning with a knot in their stomach to see if something happened,” said Six.

According to LTO Noord, the cause of the series of wolf attacks in recent weeks is probably that there is not enough game. “The game supply is one-sided, which puts great pressure on the sheep. In addition, there are also many sheep walking around unprotected, so that wolves learn that sheep are easy prey,” says Six. “The wry thing is that LTO is a fervent supporter of the zero-stand policy for wild boars and red deer.” Drenthe currently uses the zero position for large game in principle for road safety reasons.

Six calls the situation in Drenthe dire and says he sees no solution. He advocates appointing a team to monitor wolf damage. “So that we can learn from it and determine when we are dealing with a problem wolf. Without proper reporting of the damage, the wolf is legally untenable,” concludes Six.

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