Environmentalists kick as Germany okays killing of wolves against EU laws

Ciarán Sunderland and Marco Rauch, dpa

BERLIN – The European Commission wants to review the protected conservation status of wolves in the European Union with a study launched on Monday, as Germany takes aim at reducing its wolf population with more kills.

In some parts of Europe, wolf pack numbers have “become a real danger for livestock and potentially also for humans,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

Von der Leyen urged “local and national authorities to take action where necessary,” stressing current EU laws allows them to do so already.

“Where there is a clear danger, local authorities are allowed to permit hunting,” von der Leyen said. “I think this is an absolute right,” she added.

The commission asked scientists, local communities and all interested parties across the EU to submit data on wolf populations and their impacts by September 22.
Famously, a wolf killed von der Leyen’s favourite pet pony Dolly in an incident that was widely reported on in German media.

In Germany, controlling the wolf population is a hot topic, with Environment Minister Steffi Lemke favouring rules that make it easier to shoot wolves to protect other grazing animals like sheep.

“Shooting wolves after they have killed has to happen faster and with less bureaucracy,” the minister told Germany’s Die Welt newspaper on Monday. When dozens of sheep are killed and lie dead on the meadow, it is a tragedy for every livestock farmer and a very great burden for those affected. Therefore, they need more support and security.”

The minister aims to present new plans by the end of September. However, implementation might be complicated because Germany’s state governments are responsible for wolf management.

Until now, wolves have been highly protected both under German and EU law. In some regions, however, people question whether the protection status is still justified as the number of wolves is growing.

There are 1,200 wolves in Germany, according to the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation’s 2021-2022 figures.

There were mixed reactions to Lemke’s proposal. The head of the German Farmers’ Association called Lemke’s proposal a “smoke screen.”

Bernhard Krüsken told dpa that farmers want “real wolf management” which includes an acknowledgement that conservation efforts have been successful and a reclassification of the wolf’s protected status.

Environmental groups, meanwhile, criticized efforts to kill more wolves.
“For the number of grazing animals killed, it is not the number of wolves that is decisive, but the number of unprotected grazing herds, said Uwe Friedel, the wolf expert at the German League for Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND).

The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu) agreed with BUND and said killing wolves is not the way to protect grazing herds.

Whether it is five or eight wolves in the area, they pose a risk to unprotected grazing animals, said Marie Neuwald, Nabu’s wolf and grazing specialist.

“Hunting does not lead to wolves keeping more distance to grazing animals,” she said. Herd protection means more work for grazers, so Nabu advocates for financial support for this.
The EU effort is aimed at finding where wolves “pose a threat” and to use the collected data from across Europe to review the protected status of the animals, von der Leyen said.

The commission president said the review of the compiled data would be completed by the end of the year.

Currently, wolves receive strict protection status under EU law with provisions allowing for local authorities to take action, including shooting wolves in case of conflicts with rural communities and farmers.