It is still unclear in the Netherlands when a so-called ’emergency kill’ of a wolf is permitted. There is also little case law available on this in Europe. Case law means that there have been similar cases on which case law can be based in later cases.
There are two cases that are somewhat similar. In one case, a wolf in France showed aggressive behavior at a campsite. That wolf was then shot dead by the local gendarmerie. That case ended up before the French judge, who ultimately concluded that it was a justified defense.
A second case occurred in the German state of Brandenburg in 2018. The Twente hunter Jan Boomkamp shot dead a wolf that attacked several hunting dogs during a drive hunt. “That wolf hit the dogs and felt attacked. He first grabbed a small terrier and threw it one and a half meters into the air. Then he grabbed another dog. I screamed and fired a shot. But that wolf was completely crazy. He also grabbed a German Upright, he was sitting on top of it. I couldn’t stand it anymore and I thought: I’ll shoot him dead. That wasn’t that easy. It was a targeted shot at 150 meters. Bam, wolf dead,” says Boomkamp.
At the time, the police drew up a report for a violation of the Nature Conservation Act. “A lawsuit resulted. That case lasted four years and three months. Each time the public prosecutor lodged an appeal. Until I was acquitted the last time. I am a free man,” says Boomkamp.
Boomkamp only wants to tell his story if he is also allowed to express his own concerns about the number of wolves in the Netherlands. “There are already eighty wolves on the Veluwe. Next year that will be double and the year after that again. A wolf eats meat. A wolf eats an animal. A pack pulls a horse to the ground. But when the animals are gone , people are dying. And then you can say: it won’t get to that point. But that explosion is there. You have seen that in the past with rabbits and rats. This cannot be kept in check. If the government does not intervene quickly, then It’s going to be a big fuss.”