Dutch minister for nature and nitrogen policy Christianne van der Wal has called on officials and the public to keep emotions out of the problem of rising wolf numbers and growing interaction between the carnivore and the humans, public broadcaster NOS reported Wednesday.
Van der Wal said she wants to open discussions about the presence of wolves in some areas and work with the provinces to come up with a common strategy to deal with the issue.
The Dutch authorities have been concerned about the wild animals getting too close to humans, with numerous complaints and sightings being reported recently. The need to find a solution to the beasts getting too comfortable around humans became especially obvious after a video showing a wolf strolling toward a family with young children in the Hoge Veluwe National Park circulated online last month.
De @faunabeschermin heeft aangifte gedaan tegen directie @HogeVeluwe wegens het verzaken van haar zorgplicht jegens de onder haar verantwoordelijkheid vallende wolven. Nergens werden wolven zo tam zonder bijvoeren @Meldpunt144 @POL_Gelderland 🐺📯 pic.twitter.com/UX2LOHVvKw
— DFB Gelderland (@fb_provGLD) October 26, 2022
On another occasion, a cyclist riding a road bike recorded a wolf darting across the cycle route in the distance before disappearing back into the trees — only to then rush the accelerating rider and chase him for a few moments.
Oeps das maar goed dat deze jonge op een racefiets ging en niet op een scootmobiel. De wolf wordt steeds gevaarlijker pic.twitter.com/3x3YehoS9n
— Jan Cees Vogelaar. (@JanCeesVogelaar) November 3, 2022
Closer to the north, farmers have been calling on the government to take action regarding the growing number of attacks by wild wolves on domestic livestock. 12 wolf attacks against sheep and other farm animals were reported in the northern Netherlands last March alone. In total, 37 sheep fell victim to those attacks, according to BIJ12, an organization that monitors damage done by wild animals. The DNA analysis carried out by the group confirmed wolves were the culprit.
In the province of Friesland, 26 sheep were bitten to death, up from 13 in February and 7 in January. For those livestock that weren’t killed by the wolves in the attacks, they were frequently left with gaping wounds requiring veterinary help or euthanasia. 8 sheep fell prey to the carnivores in Drenthe and three in Groningen.
Wolves were first sighted in the Netherlands in 2015 after many decades of absence. However, not everyone welcomed the news of the predators returning to the country. About a third of the Dutch population believe the wolf does not belong in the overcrowded and densely populated Netherlands.
