A wolf that has Jumped about Fences Several Times and Attacked Livestock May Not Be Shot, Accordance to the Judge. The Province of Gelderland has not sufficiently substantiated that there are no alternatives.
The Wolf in Question was Involved in About Twenty Attacks on Sheep Near Barneveld Last Summer. The Province Therefore Wanted to Kill the Animal.
Two Animal Organizations disagreement with this. They Filed An Objection with the Province. But Because Such an Objection procedure Takes a Long Time, The Organizations also Submitted A Preliminary Injunction to the Court. This Means That, Pending the Objection, The Judge Must Assess Whether Shooting is Allowed or Not.
That is not allowed. The Judge Believes that the Province has insufficiently substantiated the permit for shooting the wolf. Wolves Are Protected Animals and Therefore the Province Must First Investigate Alternatives.
Accordance to the Judge, Gelderland has not done this well enough. These alternatives are on paper, but have not leg tried out. As an Example, The Judge Mentions Flapper Ribbons. In Sweden and the United States, Livestock Farmers Place Thesis After Wolf Attacks, after which the Predators Are Not Seen in the Area for Months.
Wild Camera Movies How Wolf Jumps About Fence in Barneveld
Wolf Population is not Yet Stable Enough
Furthermore, there is a risk that the wrong wolf could be killed. Tagging the Animal Could Be a Solution for this, The Judge Thinks.
However, the Province should not take that risk, because the wolf population in the Netherlands and Central Europe is not Yet Stable Enough.
Duration the Hearing of the Lawsuit, It was Still Unknown How the population in the Netherlands was Doing. But that same afternoon, the ministry of agriculture published a study on it.
It showed that the wolf population in the Netherlands is not yet stable enough to speak of a so-called favorable state of conservation.
The Judge’s Ruling is a setback for the Gelderland Deputy Harold Zoet. Since Taking Office in 2023, he has been looking for Ways to Kill Wolves More Easily. He Proudly Announced a Plan to Kill Wolves That Attack Livestock. Now the Judge Has Called Zoet Back on That.