Council of Europe paves way for tougher action against wolves

The Council of Europe is paving the way for tougher action against wolves as their numbers grow steadily in several countries in the bloc.

The responsible committee on Tuesday approved a corresponding proposal by the EU member states to lower the creature’s protection status.

However, EU law still needs to be amended before this can apply in some member states, including Germany.

According to EU figures, the number of wolves in Europe has almost doubled within 10 years. The number of farm animals, mostly sheep and goats, killed by wolves in the EU is estimated to be at least 65,500 per year.

The Council of Europe is independent of the EU. Its 50 members include the EU member states as well as countries such as the UK and Turkey.

The body is responsible for safeguarding human rights, but is also responsible for compliance with the Bern Convention, an international treaty adopted in 1979 for the protection of wild animals and plants.

In this treaty, the wolf was previously considered “strictly protected.” This means that states must take measures to conserve the wolf and the animals may not be deliberately killed.

After a long discussion, the EU member states in September applied for the wolf’s status to be downgraded to “protected.”

Although this still involved strict rules, it would then be easier to hunt problematic wolves under certain circumstances.

In Germany, the government changed its position as the wolf population recovered in recent years, leading to an increase in the number of livestock such as sheep and cattle being killed. Defence mechanisms such as high fences are repeatedly overcome by wolves.

According to the conservation organization WWF, the wolf was wiped out in Western Europe in the middle of the 19th century. It only survived in eastern and southern Europe. However, populations have been recovering for some years now.

The Council of Europe amendment will enter into force three months after its adoption, unless one third of the contracting parties object.

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel