The Provincial Executive is not honest with the facts about the wolf in Drenthe that they sent to the EU in Brussels. These are one-sided and incomplete, says the Party for the Animals in the Provincial Council.
Wolves should be less well protected by European rules, according to the Provincial Executive (GS). For example, the province would like to disturb the wolf’s resting area and, in extreme cases, in case of major nuisance, shoot the animal. By sending information to Brussels, nature deputy Egbert van Dijk hopes that measures can soon be taken against the predator.
“You are not painting a fair picture to the EU. Information about the length of wolf-resistant fencing or the number of protected animals means nothing if we do not know the total amount of required fencing and the total number of animals that need to be protected,” says PvdD faction leader. Renate Zuiker about Van Dijk’s actions.
“You must also tell Brussels: we have so many cattle and we have only protected three percent of them. It is like complaining about burglars while leaving almost all doors and windows open. And you must also tell how many fences we have against wolves have achieved, but also that we still have so much to do. That is honest information.”
Zuiker has more to say about Van Dijk: “There is also a lack of information about the consequences for nature in Drenthe as a result of the presence of the wolf, which is at the top of the food chain. It seems that the deputy is afraid that there may be There is also a positive side to the presence of wolves.”
Reason for Marloes Kramer-Hamminga from Volt to ask Van Dijk whether the Fauna Management Plan will be adjusted now that the wolf has been added as a new predator. Grist to Zuiker’s mill, who finds it unacceptable that hunters shoot wolf prey such as deer and hares. The deputy will come back to this later.
Van Dijk was unable to answer the question due to the absence of the Provincial Council, so he left that to his colleague Yvonne Turenhout. “We have reported to the best of our knowledge how much money we invest in preventive measures and how much livestock is protected. We also do everything we can to make it clear to livestock farmers that they must fence their animals and we help with money to protect livestock. As Drenthe, we are really ahead in taking preventive measures, but much more needs to be done. The wolf is of value in our ecosystem.”
Zuiker is not satisfied with those answers. She wonders how you can say on the one hand that the wolf is of value to the ecosystem and on the other hand argue in Brussels that the protected status of the wolf should be lowered in order to be able to chase and hunt it. And it also does not rhyme with what is stated in the coalition agreement, because GS wants to make Drenthe a ‘wolf-free region’. “You are not fair to Brussels.”
The PvdD leader continues: “It seems that the council has chosen to paint a one-sided picture of the consequences of the presence of the wolf in Drenthe. In addition, the council does not hesitate to use all kinds of emotional terms in its communication with Brussels. and to suggest that the wolf poses a real danger to people.”
Turenhout responds: “It is our job to express residents’ feelings of fear about the wolf in Drenthe to the EU.”
D66 has now also joined the discussion about wolf information for Brussels. D66 wants to know from the Provincial Executive what exactly they have sent to Brussels.
Party chairman Anry Kleine Deters wants to know from Deputy Van Dijk how many of the animals attacked by the wolf were behind a protective fence and how many were not. And if preventive measures had been taken and a wolf did come in, did the fencing comply with the applicable rules? Of course, Democrats also want to know how many wolf attacks were without wolf-resistant fences.
Kleine Deters: “Notable in the information from GS to the EU was the mention of the number of kilometers of wolf-resistant fencing installed, accompanied by a graph that showed a significant increase in the number of wolf attacks. This data may suggest that preventive measures to prevent wolf damage may not be effective enough. We can assess that with answers to our questions.”
Two packs of wolves currently live in Drenthe. Cubs were born this year in both the pack in Central Drenthe and in the Drenthe-Frisian region. A total of about five adult wolves, a yearling (adolescent, ed.) and twelve cubs now live there.
Since 2015, there have been 218 wolf attacks on farm animals in the province. Last year there were 99 attacks, a year earlier 21. In addition to sheep, goats, cows and ponies were also attacked. This year there have been 49 attacks through July.