The Wij(s) met Wolven foundation offered deputy Egbert van Dijk (BBB) an essay this morning that expresses concerns among the Dutch population about the presence of the wolf. Van Dijk will talk to Wij(s) met wolves in response to an urgent letter that the foundation sent to the deputy in January.
A survey was launched for the essay via social media and was completed by 2,354 respondents, including 451 people from Drenthe. The survey was aimed at people who have concerns about the presence of the wolf. People who are not concerned about this have not been actively approached. The survey therefore does not provide a representative picture of what is going on among the entire population of Drenthe.
Of the respondents, 78 percent indicate that they feel unsafe in wolf territory. An equally large percentage indicate that they avoid certain places due to the presence of the wolf.
People also express their concerns about the welfare of their animals; for example, animals are more often indoors.
38 percent of respondents say that the presence of the wolf affects their work. For example, a professional sheep farmer, a young cattle rearing company and a horse breeding company indicate that they have stopped their business.
We(s) with wolves urges the province, among other things, for emergency DNA procedures, so that a problem wolf can be identified more quickly.
Deputy Egbert van Dijk previously announced that he was investigating whether it was possible to shoot a wolf that attacks well-protected livestock several times. He also indicated that the coalition agreement states that Drenthe wants to become a wolf-free region. He expects that this is a process that could take years.