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After 45 years of strict protection in Europe, grey wolves could soon be fair game for hunters. Conservation officials have adopted EU proposals that will allow member countries to set a quota of wolves to kill each year.
On one side of the debate are wildlife campaigners who say that wolves prevent the spread of diseases by eating sick animals. On the other side are shepherds worried for their sheep.
The number of wolves in the EU has almost doubled since 2012, and a pack can ravage a flock. Counterpoint: the EU’s own research says that just 0.06 per cent of its total sheep population is killed by wolves every year.
That is, though, about 40,000 sheep. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, is standing with the shepherds. Her pony was killed by a wolf in 2022.
