At least 45 wolf cubs born in Netherlands this spring

At least 45 wolf cubs were born in the Netherlands this spring. Cubs were spotted on camera footage in Friesland, Drenthe, Gelderland, and Utrecht, according to the progress report from BIJ12, the provincial implementation organization that monitors the wolf population.

According to BIJ12, the rising number of wolves is making it increasingly difficult to determine exactly how many wolves live in the Nehterlands. A previous estimate was between 104 and 124. Given the number of cubs born, this number appears to be approaching 150. BIJ12 confirms that there is an increase but declines to comment on the numbers.

According to researchers at Wageningen University & Research, the Netherlands has room for at least 23 packs. At least 13 wolf packs have now established themselves in the Netherlands. The previous progress report mentioned 11 packs.

Two new wolf habitats have emerged in Drenthe, in the central and southern parts of the province. Drenthe already housed two packs, one of which is located in the border region with Friesland. Most packs are located in Gelderland, on or around the Veluwe National Park. A wolf family also lives on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug.

Between 2019 and 2023, the number of wolf packs in the Nehterlands increased rapidly, from one to nine. Since then, the growth has leveled off somewhat.

Between February and the end of March, seven wolves died in collisions in the Netherlands, six on the road and one on the railway. The provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland also intend to kill off a total of three wolves: two for biting people and one for killing dozens of sheep.

Council of State critical of government’s approach to “problem wolves”

Caretaker State Secretary Jean Rummenie (Nature, BBB) is working on making it easier for provinces to tackle problem wolves. But the Council of State is critical of the approach to problem wolves that he proposed. Rummenie’s plan makes it too easy to capture or even kill a wolf, which violates European nature conservation regulations, the Council of State said on Monday.

The wolf’s protection status under the European Habitats Directive was recently downgraded, but the animal is still a protected species. Rummeni wants to broaden the conditions under which a wolf can be captured or killed.

The wolf has been back in the Netherlands for several years, and there is still no report on the species’ conservation status. According to the Council of State, the government must therefore assume an unfavorable conservation status, meaning that wolves can only be captured or killed in “exceptional circumstances.”

The rules Rummenie has proposed are “too broad” and do not meet these requirements. The situations the caretaker State Secretary mentions in his draft decree for when it would be permitted to capture or kill a wolf “vary greatly in nature and severity,” and would not necessarily qualify as exceptional circumstances.

The Council of State also said that Rummenie failed to clarify why the existing legislation and regulations are inadequate, and how his proposal will address this.

Incidentally, there are calls in parliament to declare the wolf policy controversial and leave the approach to problem wolves to a future Cabinet.

Rummenie remains optimistic. He said he takes the Council of State’s advice “very seriously” and promised to incorporate it into his final decision. He hopes to be able to implement the new policy this year, despite the opposition in parliament. “This will only strengthen the basis on which the competent authority can act.”