360 wolf attacks in just six months, almost as many as whole of 2023

This year, wolves have already attacked almost as many sheep and other animals as in 2023. In the first six months of 2024, 360 attacks on animals were registered, compared to 399 last year. This is evident from an analysis by the ANP based on data from BIJ12. ​​This organization handles wolf cases for the provinces.

The increase is mainly in the northeastern provinces, especially in Gelderland. In the first six months of 2024, the wolf has already struck 166 times, compared to nineteen times in the same period last year. Gelderland now has 50 more confirmed attacks than in the whole of 2023.

In the south of the country, attacks decreased somewhat. In the first half of 2024, only five wolf attacks were registered in the province of Noord-Brabant, compared to at least eleven in previous years.

In almost all cases, the landowners had no fence or electric fence around their land or other preventive measures to prevent damage by wolves. The fact that wolves are increasingly striking is because there are also more and more wolves living in the Netherlands. A year and a half ago, 29 wolves were counted. Last winter, there were 51.

Livestock farmers who suffer damage due to wolf attacks can receive compensation. In the first six months of 2024, the provinces already paid approximately 100,000 euros more in compensation to farmers than in the same period last year. This amount may still increase because it is not yet evident in all claims whether the farmer is entitled to compensation.

At the end of July, ANP reported that three times as many wolf attacks took place in the first three months of 2024 than in the same period a year earlier. BIJ12 has now processed almost all reports for the first half of 2024.

The number of attacks may be even higher. It is not mandatory to report an attack to BIJ12. ​​Also, only attacks were counted where it is absolutely certain that the damage was caused by a wolf. However, it is unknown whether a wolf was responsible for the attacks in at least 60 cases in the past two months.