Discussion, discussion and more discussion. This year supporters and opponents of the wolf often fell over each other. But what have we actually learned about the animal? RTV Drenthe looks back on a turbulent year.
It is a few degrees below zero, but livestock farmers Marjoke and Ynze Oenema from Wittelte are busy with the sheep in the field behind their house. Who walks through the grass, stands in sheep dung every few meters. “This is actually nothing yet,” says Marjoke. According to her, the meadow looked much busier a few months ago. “There are now about 140, but halfway through the year we had double.”
The Oenemas got rid of half of the herd in the summer because of the wolf. “If there is an attack, we cannot house three hundred sheep in our barn. So we had to make the difficult choice to get rid of part.”
And that is not without consequences, because they lost an important source of income as a result. Ynze Oenema is now working part-time to earn some extra money. They are not the only livestock farmers who are concerned about the wolf.
During the summer, wolf attacks in Drenthe increased considerably, including in the municipality of Westerveld. Unrest among residents grew. That is why the municipality and the province decided to organize an (emergency) meeting in October in Diever town hall.