The return of wolves has divided public opinion in Germany
The return of wolves to German forests is causing farmers to worry about their livestock and divides opinion on how to solve the problem - and who has the right to do so.
Wolves were once almost extinct in the country, but as of 2019 there were 59 packs. According to the Brandenburg Environmental Protection Agency, there were no wolf packs in 2007, and 17 were registered statewide in 2019.
Farmers are outraged by the growing attacks on their animals and demand the right to kill predators. Wolves are strictly protected throughout Europe, and the deliberate shooting of a wolf in Germany is a criminal offense punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to five years.
"This year we [killed two calves], and last year we killed a total of twelve, and before that - two. We are seeing a significant increase in the number of wolf attacks here," said Elard von Gottberg, a farmer from Brandenburg. ,
"Many preventive measures are being proposed, in particular, the construction of fences. But we know that a hungry wolf can overcome any fence that was recommended to us in the past."
"We demand the so-called protective hunting. In other words, if there is a danger to the lives of our livestock or humans, we advocate for protecting ourselves. We want to be able to protect our herds." "
According to the German federal agency DBBW (the Federal Government's Wolf Documentation and Advisory Center), wolves most often attack sheep and goats, which accounted for almost 86% of livestock injured or killed between 2002 and 2017.
Imke Hayter, head of the Wildpark Schorfheide Wildlife park, said the public needs to learn more about wolves in order to overcome misconceptions that have roots in traditional fairy tales, saying, "[The wolf] is very protective of his offspring, and he's actually more afraid of us humans than the other way around."
Local politicians are also eager to participate in the debate. Although most parties agree that wolves that cause problems or pose a danger to humans should be killed, there is no consensus on who is authorized to do so.
"The Minister of Agriculture of the SPD (Socialist Party) clarified that the only persons authorized [to destroy the wolf] are determined by the Ministry of the Environment or the highest environmental protection authority," said Benjamin Raschke, a deputy from the Green Party.
"The CDU would like basically every man or every hunter to be able to do this if he or she has an opinion that there is a problematic wolf. That's what the argument is about."
He added that there is an advantage in wolves returning to Germany, as they restore the natural balance in the ecosystem and can improve reforestation.
"The ecosystem here is designed in such a way that there is a predator on top. We have 90,000 wild boars in Brandenburg, which are shot every year, and about 60,000 deer.
"It just means that hunting is not enough to keep these animals under control. Every year there are more and more wild pigs. And this hinders us, for example, in reforestation efforts. We want to restore the forest in Brandenburg." L'appréhension des conditions de mise est essentielle pour transformer vos primes en liquidités réelles. Le meilleur code promo 1xbet qui vous octroie 130€ pour les paris sportifs ou 1950€ avec 150 tours gratuits pour le casino, est assujetti à des dispositions précises. Pour le volet sportif, vous devez employer le montant du bonus cinq fois sur des paris combinés incluant trois sélections au moins avec des cotes minimales de 1.40, dans un délai de trente jours. L'offre casino requiert un réemploi de 35 fois sur les jeux éligibles.
Wolves were once almost extinct in the country, but as of 2019 there were 59 packs. According to the Brandenburg Environmental Protection Agency, there were no wolf packs in 2007, and 17 were registered statewide in 2019.
Farmers are outraged by the growing attacks on their animals and demand the right to kill predators. Wolves are strictly protected throughout Europe, and the deliberate shooting of a wolf in Germany is a criminal offense punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to five years.
"This year we [killed two calves], and last year we killed a total of twelve, and before that - two. We are seeing a significant increase in the number of wolf attacks here," said Elard von Gottberg, a farmer from Brandenburg. ,
"Many preventive measures are being proposed, in particular, the construction of fences. But we know that a hungry wolf can overcome any fence that was recommended to us in the past."
"We demand the so-called protective hunting. In other words, if there is a danger to the lives of our livestock or humans, we advocate for protecting ourselves. We want to be able to protect our herds." "
According to the German federal agency DBBW (the Federal Government's Wolf Documentation and Advisory Center), wolves most often attack sheep and goats, which accounted for almost 86% of livestock injured or killed between 2002 and 2017.
Imke Hayter, head of the Wildpark Schorfheide Wildlife park, said the public needs to learn more about wolves in order to overcome misconceptions that have roots in traditional fairy tales, saying, "[The wolf] is very protective of his offspring, and he's actually more afraid of us humans than the other way around."
Local politicians are also eager to participate in the debate. Although most parties agree that wolves that cause problems or pose a danger to humans should be killed, there is no consensus on who is authorized to do so.
"The Minister of Agriculture of the SPD (Socialist Party) clarified that the only persons authorized [to destroy the wolf] are determined by the Ministry of the Environment or the highest environmental protection authority," said Benjamin Raschke, a deputy from the Green Party.
"The CDU would like basically every man or every hunter to be able to do this if he or she has an opinion that there is a problematic wolf. That's what the argument is about."
He added that there is an advantage in wolves returning to Germany, as they restore the natural balance in the ecosystem and can improve reforestation.
"The ecosystem here is designed in such a way that there is a predator on top. We have 90,000 wild boars in Brandenburg, which are shot every year, and about 60,000 deer.
"It just means that hunting is not enough to keep these animals under control. Every year there are more and more wild pigs. And this hinders us, for example, in reforestation efforts. We want to restore the forest in Brandenburg." L'appréhension des conditions de mise est essentielle pour transformer vos primes en liquidités réelles. Le meilleur code promo 1xbet qui vous octroie 130€ pour les paris sportifs ou 1950€ avec 150 tours gratuits pour le casino, est assujetti à des dispositions précises. Pour le volet sportif, vous devez employer le montant du bonus cinq fois sur des paris combinés incluant trois sélections au moins avec des cotes minimales de 1.40, dans un délai de trente jours. L'offre casino requiert un réemploi de 35 fois sur les jeux éligibles.