Wolf’s presence divides Europe. To cull or not to cull?

The headline is, “Wolf cull lacks teeth, say shepherds.” But animal advocates argue that there should be no cull at all. The wolf’s presence divides Europe.

Wolves were hunted to extinction in France in the 20th century. There were given protected status in Italy and they returned to France from Italy in the 1990s. The population in France has been growing ever since with 1,104 sightings in 2023 up from 430 in 2018.

President Macron is trying to juggle how best to deal with the presence of wolves in France. There are plans to facilitate culling wolves but these plans have been denounced by animal rights activists. They consider the plans as a form of ‘mediaeval-style extermination’. In response, shepherds say that the culling rules fall short of what they demand in order to protect their flocks.

Wolf's presence divides Europe. Not enough space for this ancient species to live without impinging on human activities.
Wolf’s presence divides Europe. Not enough space for this ancient species to live without impinging on human activities. Image: MikeB under license.

The Times reports on this dilemma for Macron in today’s newspaper of March 13, 2024. The newspaper reports that President Macron is struggling to deal with a polarised debate over the 12,000 sheep and other animals reportedly killed by wolves in France in 2023.

The wolf plan (Plan Loup) is controversial because neither the shepherds nor the animal rights activists are happy with it. They hold diametrically opposed views.

Attacks on sheep have been rising from 3568 in 2018 to 4181 in 2022 which is the last year for available figures.

The farmers are angry because their livelihoods are jeopardised by policies intended to protect the environment and wildlife.

President Macron’s government is trying to appease the farmers with policies that make it easier to kill wolves. For example,:

  • Hunters will be able to wear night vision glasses to shoot them at night whereas in the past they had to use torches which warned thhe wolf that they were about to be shot. Using torches allows three seconds to shoot the animal.
  • Also, hunters can go out in parties of up to 3 whereas before they had to work alone.

Patrick Leyrissoux, deputy chairman of Ferus, an association that defends wolves and bears in the Pyrenees said:

“They are trying to exterminate wolves which are a protected species. We are still in this old mentality which dates from the beginning of time that holds that some species are pests.”

Shepherds are disappointed because they are not allowed to shoot wolves themselves. They have to ask professionals to come in and do it for them. They don’t understand why they don’t have the right to defend their flocks themselves.

The total number of wolves that can be culled annually has been maintained at 209 which is also a source of complaint for the farmers. They want a bigger quota. The number shot has been below this ceiling for the last four years. The reason? Restrictions on night-time hunting.

Conclusion?

As I said, the presence of the Wolf in Europe divides people between farmers who want to make a living and animal activists who want to protect wildlife. My personal conclusion is that there is hardly a place for the wolf in Europe today because there are too many people. There is too much human activity and not enough space for the wolf. The conflict outlined can only get worse.

RELATED: 99 bears and 5 wolves shot to protect caribou in Alaska

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