Drenthe has a problem wolf. The male, codenamed GW4890m, has bypassed wolf-repellent fences several times and then attacked sheep. What do we know about this animal?
Wolf GW4890 belongs to the pack in the Drents-Friese Wold. It is a yearling of the pack that settled in Drenthe in 2021. DNA from GW4890 was first determined in the Netherlands in February 2025. It is unclear exactly when he was born.
The province now wants to shoot it because the wolf struck several times in Beilen last month, probably at two animal keepers. GW4890 DNA has been identified in four cases in attacks on sheep. At least fifteen sheep were killed.
Wolf GW4890 bypassed wolf-resistant grids that meet the province’s standards. This means, among other things, that there are fences with at least five electrical wires. The highest wire hangs at a minimum height of 120 centimeters and the lowest wire may not be higher than 20 centimeters from the ground.
If a wolf has passed an approved wolf-resistant fence several times, the animal must be able to be shot based on the wolf plan, according to the province.
The attacks took place at sheep farmer Lambert Pijl in Beilen. He emphasizes that the province’s plan is just a start. “It is a good step, but not enough. If one wolf is shot dead, we are not yet saved,” says the sheep farmer.
“It’s not a problem at all if the wolf stays here, but there are just way too many in Drenthe.” Dozens of sheep have been killed by wolves near Pijl in recent years.
The problem wolf already attacked sheep earlier this year. This happened on February 18, February 27 and March 7 in Makkinga, Friesland, according to data from BIJ12. 18 sheep died. GW4890 did not bypass an approved wolf-resistant screen.
The male may now be walking around in Friesland. That is why Drenthe also has contact with the Frisians when preparing the culling permit.
Farming clubs already sounded the alarm last week about the behavior of this wolf. In a letter to the province, LTO Noord, Association Drentse Boermarken and Drenthe Agricultural Youth Contact (DAJK) spoke about a ‘worrying development’.
“Not only because these wolves know that trick (bypassing a wolf-resistant fence, ed.), but also because the support among farmers for fencing off plots where cattle roam is negatively affected by these cases,” the farmers say.
Maurice La Haye of the Mammal Society predicts that killing the wolf will not be easy. “In the event of damage, targeting a specific individual is the way to possibly reduce the damage,” he says.
But, La Haye continues: “In practice, severance is really very difficult. Do you have the right individual and is he recognizable? The judge will check whether all alternatives have been tried and only then give permission for any severance.”
Drenthe has placed extra wire, flashing lights, flutter ribbons on electrical wire and cameras around the plots where the attacks took place. There have been no new attacks since then.