Young Dutch less concerned about impact of wolves in nature
Young Dutch people are much less negative about the wolf than the older generations. 61 percent of people under 35 think the wolf belongs in the Netherlands. Among people over 65, only 18 percent think that, and 79 percent think it is acceptable to shoot wolves that attack people, RTL Nieuws found in a survey of 17,500 members of its opinion people.
Among young people, 35 percent think it’s acceptable to shoot a wolf that attacks people, and half think that people should avoid a wolf that attacks people. Of the oldest generation, only 24 percent think it is up to people to avoid dangerous wolves.
Jaap Dirkmaat, chairman of Das&Boom, a foundation committed to protecting endangered species and their habitat, is not surprised that young people have a more positive attitude towards the wolf. According to him, younger people are more concerned about nature. It has also been a long time since the wolf last killed a person in Europe. “As a result, people think that the animal is not a problem,” he told RTL.
“What you should not forget when thinking about this is that when the wolf left the Netherlands, the country had 6 million inhabitants. Today, approximately 18 million people live in the Netherlands. The country is full and, therefore, the chance that something will go wrong with the wolf in the Netherlands is greater than in Germany, for example. It is quite sad for the wolf to live here,” Dirkmaat said.
Ignoring the age of respondents, Netherlands residents are divided about whether or not the wolf belongs in the country. 42 percent think yes, 48 percent think no. The remaining 10 percent don’t know. One said: “I have mixed feelings about this. We may be too small and densely populated a country for wolves to grow wild. It would be nice if there was a place (like the Veluwe) where it is possible but where it can be a bit regulated.”
47 percent think the Netherlands won’t find a way to live peacefully with the wolf in the coming years, while 40 percent think it’s possible. 64 percent think people should accept that wild animals sometimes cause nuisance. 31 percent disagree.
