AWOOOOOLFNEWS: Wolf now a protected animal in the Netherlands

The wolf in the Netherlands receives a legally protected status. This means that it should not be hunted. Wild animal Farmers whose animals were eaten by a wolf, get compensation.

This writes Dijksma Secretary of Agriculture in a letter to the Lower House. In recent times, some reports have been published about the expected arrival of the wolf to the Netherlands.Netherlands must prepare, said Dijksma.

Return

Wolves can survive in the Netherlands because there is enough food, such as deer and wild boar.

Dijksma wants to focus on the coming of the wandering, living alone wolf. About 15 kilometers from the Dutch border with Germany is such a solitary wolf identified, and 200 kilometers from the border a pack of wolves. In eastern Germany wolves live in groups.

1000km

It is unclear when the wolf will set foot on Dutch soil. Young wolves leave their homeland after two years and pack in search of a natural habitat and a partner. They can make or 1,000 kilometers.

Wolves are not dangerous for humans but farmers fear their arrival because they eat sheep, goats and poultry. These animals are often in a pasture without a locked gate. A wolf can therefore easily reach its prey. So there are compensations for damages "caused by protected animal species kept commercially farmed animals."

Bullet Holes

Last year a dead wolf in Luttelgeest was found in Flevoland. He proved himself to have come to the Netherlands. In the body of the wolf were two bullet holes in his stomach, and investigators found the remains of a beaver. The wolf appeared to be shot in the Carpathians and here are laid along the way.

Wolves live in many European countries such as France, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria and Russia.