The German Farmers’ Association has called for the speedy and unbureaucratic killing of so-called problem wolves and problem packs in accordance with applicable nature conservation law. “None of us have the desire to eradicate the wolf,” said Bavaria’s Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU) at an event organized by the farmers’ association in Berlin. But the daily balance is “really dramatic now”.
Wolves repeatedly kill farm animals that are kept on pastures. According to the information, the risk is particularly high on hillside pastures that are typical of Bavaria and cannot be fenced off. For the year 2021, the association puts the number of torn, injured or missing animals at almost 3,400. He does not name more recent figures.
Tierschutzbund: clientele politics and scaremongering
In a statement of demands, the association’s environmental officer, Eberhard Hartelt, criticizes the policy: “Playing it down, denial of reality, romantic glorification and organized whitewashing have allowed the conflict with grazing animal husbandry to escalate.” The result is an unchecked growing wolf population, which is now well above the favorable conservation status and is exceptionally high in Germany in an international comparison.
Wolf-free areas, in which the settlement of the wolf is prevented, and full transparency about the wolf population in Germany are further demands of the association.
The German Animal Welfare Association criticized the debate about the wolf as clientele politics and scaremongering: “Especially in Bavaria, where people pride themselves on beautiful nature and biodiversity, politicians have done absolutely nothing for years, although it was clear that at some point wolves would also be permanent here in the Alps settle and form packs.”
