Are sheep farmers protecting their animals enough against wolf attacks? That question is important, now that the province wants to focus on the management of wolves in Southwest Drenthe. This is only allowed if everything is done to prevent damage by the wolves. And that condition is still far from being met, says wolf expert Hans Hasper of the Mammal Society.
Last winter, Hasper investigated the current situation with regard to the protection of sheep and other possible prey of wolves. On the basis of a series of wolf attacks, he estimated the size of the wolf territory in Southwest Drenthe. He counted all the sheep, shetlanders, goats and even a few pigs and alpacas.
Of the 8777 sheep, he says, 724 were in a ‘possibly wolf-resistant grid’. Possibly, because that grid looked good at first glance. That equates to just over eight percent of sheep.
Figures from the province also show that much more can be done to protect sheep. Between January 2021 and July this year, 37 subsidies were given for the installation of a wolf-resistant grid. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Drenthe has more than 300 farms where sheep are kept. A survey by Annet Muller-ter Veen from Appelscha also produced similar results. She spoke with more than a thousand owners of farm animals, of whom forty percent indicated that they would not take any measures.
Several reasons were given for this. In some cases, for example, it is not allowed to place a fence higher than one meter. Or installing a wolf-resistant fence is too expensive, even with a subsidy, if it is available at all, the farmer can hardly afford the costs. Regular grazing of the sheep also causes problems. For example, movable wolf-resistant grids are too heavy to lift alone, and there is no money for extra staff.
The power wires also cause problems; in periods of drought, for example, there is a problem with grounding electricity. As a result, there may be too little current on the wires. The mobile power device must also be able to be properly hidden and secured, because it is predatory. These are all reasons from the survey why farmers do not (yet) have a wolf-resistant grid.
The province therefore wants to see what can be done about the damage that the wolf inflicts on livestock farmers. Nature and Agriculture Deputy Henk Jumelet: “The concerns of the farmers are close to our hearts. We are concerned about the state of affairs in Southwest Drenthe in particular, and the politicians have also expressed their views on this. We have already taken steps in this direction. and we’re going to do that even stronger and more clearly.”
About the wolf-resistant fences, the deputy says: “As the Netherlands, we want there to be biodiversity, that the cows go out to pasture. In addition, we have to conclude that if we fill the whole of Drenthe with fences, we will have opposite effects for other people. It is practically impracticable. And how far should you talk about taking measures and prevention? The ease with which it is said ‘there must be protected there for a while’, it is not that simple. Hobby farmers may be able to bring in their sheep, or fence. Larger herds may be able to cope with large dogs. But grazing sheep and cows is not easy. Let’s first see together where we are now and what we can really do.”
The province of Drenthe will urge the government to manage wolves in Southwest Drenthe. It is unclear what exactly that management entails. There is talk about chasing away and possibly shooting in order to limit the nuisance.
According to Glenn Lelieveld of the Mammal Society, this is currently a hopeless case: “Management is only possible if everything is done to prevent nuisance and that is far from the case. Therefore, take measures first and then look further.” Shooting is also a pointless way, according to Hasper: “The wolf is still advancing. Before you know it, there’s a new one. And if you shoot the most experienced wolf out of a pack, the rest will fall on easy prey. And that’s it.” are just sheep.”