Wolves in crosshairs as EU governments agree to more hunting and culls

euronews (in English)

Nature conservationists have denounced as ‘shameful’ a back-room agreement that saw all but two EU governments acquiesce to a European Commission proposal to ease protection for Europe’s burgeoning wolf populations.

Transcript

00:00Years ago, wolves were threatened with extinction in Europe, but thanks to protection programs,

00:06their population increased. However, member states have now voted to change their status

00:12from strictly protected to protected, which means that wolf hunting quotas could be back.

00:20The expansion of wolf populations has led to increasing conflicts with human activities,

00:25notably concerning livestock damages, with also strong pressures on specific areas and

00:30regions.

00:32Farming organizations were asking for this change of status, alleging the damage caused

00:36to livestock by this predator. According to European Commission, there are 20,300 wolves

00:41in the EU, and their numbers are increasing. Wolves kill at least 65,000 animals in the

00:46EU every year. 73% of these cases are sheep and goats, 90% is cattle, and 6% are horses

00:54and donkeys. Conservationists strongly opposed the proposal from the beginning, calling the

00:59decision shameful.

01:01It's a very sad day because the ongoing recovery of the wolf is actually one of our main success

01:09stories in Europe for conservation, and it should be celebrated as a big success, and

01:17instead the European Union is now sending a very shameful signal just a few weeks before

01:24the COP16 on the Convention for Biological Diversity.

01:31A large majority of countries voted in favor of the proposal. Only the ambassadors of Ireland

01:36and Spain voted against, while Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta and Belgium abstained.

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