Government parties okay with culling wolves, but unclear about conditions
The coalition parties agree that culling wolves is a possibility, but they disagreed about in which cases this should be allowed in a parliamentary debate on the wolf on Tuesday evening. There are proposals in Europe to reduce the strictly protected status of wolves. The Cabinet, in anticipation of this, is working on plans to tackle “problem wolves,” the definition of which is also still being worked on, NOS and ANP report.
“Sometimes it is a war zone in the countryside,” said BBB leader Caroline van der Plas, who finally got this debate after requesting it time and again. “We are not saying: all wolves should be shot. But where a wolf shows problem behavior, there should be an option to opt for active repelling and shooting if necessary.”
According to Van der Plas, 125 wolves now live in the Netherlands. She mentioned attacks on cattle, dogs, and joggers, and talked about children being scared on their way to school. People live in “daily fear,” she said.
NSC and VVD think that shooting a wolf should be possible in the most extreme case. Both parties would rather ensure that wolves remain shy of humans and prevent things from getting to that point. NSC MP Diederik Boonsma wondered whether wolves could be hunted more actively with paintball guns. Dion Graus (PVV) believes shooting should only be permitted in the event of “direct danger.”
Opposition parties quickly clashed with Van der Plas. PvdD MP Ines Kostic accused the BBB leader of unnecessarily scaring people and “inciting” them to act against wolves. Kostic said she understands the fear, but pointed out that “in 95 percent of incidents, there are good preventive measures like fences.” Van der Plas called that “the world turned upside down,” saying that humans shouldn’t have to “adapt our entire lives to a predator.”
D66 MP Anne Marijke Podt also clashed with Van der Plas, accusing her of exaggerating the problem and “lashing out wildly.” Van der Plas advised Podt to “stay overnight” outside the Randstad once. Podt sighed that Van der Plas is not the only person to ever talk to people in the countryside.
Graus thinks that wolves should be sterilized or castrated to prevent them from having offspring instead of being culled. The idea seems unlikely given that species typically have protected status because their populations are dwindling. Graus is all in favor of leaving wolves be. “Anyone who chases the wolf should go to jail. And as far as I’m concerned, be put on bread and water.”
The PVV MP accused the other parties of not understanding the animal. Graus told André Flach of the SGP: “You are not an expert at all. And I also think you are practicing your faith badly when it comes to living creatures.” Flach found that inappropriate.
Although Van der Plas and Graus’s positions are far apart, the two submitted a motion together at the end of the debate. They want the Cabinet to investigate whether wolves become less shy if they eat carcasses left behind by nature managers “and therefore smell of human scent.” The underlying idea is that wolves should remain shy so that they keep their distance from people.
The BBB also proposed “wolf-free zones” in which livestock and people are better protected. Agriculture State Secretary Jean Rummenie (BBB) said he would look into it. The PvdD thinks the idea has little chance legally. But Rummenie argued that the Netherlands, “as the most densely populated” EU member state, has “every reason” to “ask for a tailor-made solution.”
