Ministry says that a wolf attacking cattle does not justify shooting at it in court case

A wolf attacking cattle does not justify giving permission to shoot at the wolf, said the lawyer of the Ministry of Justice. In a case that was heard on Thursday, the lawyer argued that the wolf is a protected animal and that it attacking sheep is not a good reason to approve a gun permit. “If a hunter gets it now, then when does it end?”

The case was filed by a hunter from Friesland. He wants the possibility of being able to shoot at a wolf if an attack happens at sheep keeper Kees Terpstra’s land in Opsterland, Friesland. An application for this was previously rejected by the chief of police in Friesland and by the Minister of Justice and Security. The hunter’s attorney, Piet Stehouwer, thinks the permit should be granted “because one animal is not worth more than the other.” The minister's lawyer argued in response that the wolf is a protected animal and that an attack on one or a few sheep is not sufficient to justify shooting the wolf.

“Gun permits for self-defense are only granted in very exceptional circumstances,” said the minister’s attorney. “First try preventive measures, such as wolf-resistant fences or herding dogs." He also pointed out the exemption that can be requested from the province, which has not yet happened in this case.

Stehouwer responded by saying that wolves regularly jump over the fences even if they meet the requirements. “There are enough videos of this.” The ministry's lawyer said it remains to be seen whether the grids worked in the 2022 attack after which the application was filed. "And even if the grids worked, the minister still finds the gun permit disproportionate."

In response to the court's question of whether there are no other ways to chase away a wolf during an attack, Stehouwer said that chasing away the wolf with fireworks, for example, does not work sufficiently.

The verdict of this case will be heard within six weeks.