Ten of the twelve mayors in the Dutch province of Drenthe have sent an urgent letter to State Secretary for Agriculture Silvio Erkens, asking the national government to seriously examine “active management” of the wolf, including a fenced living area for the predator. Only the mayors of Tynaarlo and Hoogeveen declined to sign, NOS reported.
Erkens traveled to Drenthe this week for a roundtable discussion after the letter, RTV Drenthe reported. The meeting focused mainly on the damage wolves cause in the rural province — not only livestock such as horses, cows and sheep, but also the fear among residents afterward. Some attendees were moved to tears, RTV Drenthe saw.
“Children no longer dare to get on their bikes toward Hoogeveen,” one attendee said, according to NOS.
Four Wolf Packs, 13 Pups and a Hotspot at Beilen
Four wolf packs currently live in Drenthe, and at least 13 pups were born in the province this year, NOS reported. This year there have been 49 reports of wolf damage in Drenthe so far; 13 of those have been confirmed as actually caused by a wolf, while the rest are still under investigation.
Beilen is a hotspot, according to Jan Zwiers of Midden-Drenthe, who co-signed the letter. The animals are increasingly showing themselves within built-up areas there. “Especially among parents and grandparents, the question is how safe it is when children play outside or bike to school alone in the dark,” the ten mayors wrote in their letter, as quoted by NOS.
Erkens Promises Faster Shooting of Problem Wolves
“It is necessary to ensure that attacks on livestock and incidents involving people do not increase,” Erkens said, according to NOS. He also made clear that he considers “active management” of the wolf necessary, but when and how quickly this can be arranged remains unclear, NOS noted.
Erkens hoped the visit of the entire parliamentary committee — including parties more critical of active management — would lead parties to adjust their views. “That is why I think it is good that the whole parliamentary committee comes to see here,” he said, according to RTV Drenthe.
Mayors Propose a Fenced Wolf Area — or Faster Shooting
In their letter, the ten mayors asked for an area-based approach: a fenced living area where wolves could live only in designated nature reserves, the way wild boars are already handled in the Netherlands. Mayor Zwiers of Midden-Drenthe, who attended the meeting in Zuidveld together with Jouke Spoelstra of Westerveld, said the ten municipalities — working together with nine others — recently sent the letter to Erkens with that request.
“We stay in contact with the state secretary about what he needs. The letter has been sent, but it must not stop there. We also really want a follow-up,” Zwiers said, according to RTV Drenthe. Whether a separate living area for wolves is feasible, he does not know. “No is also an answer.”
Zwiers said he sees people already thinking differently about the wolf than they initially did. “First we were told that wolves could be scared off, that they are shy, but none of that has happened. It has only gotten worse,” he said. “I don’t think there are people left who think the stories told here are incidents. Because they are not.”
Drenthe’s Wolf Conflict: Questions Answered
Four packs live in the province, and at least 13 pups were born this year, NOS reported.
Only the mayors of Tynaarlo and Hoogeveen did not put their signatures under the letter, according to NOS.
There have been 49 reports of wolf damage in Drenthe this year; 13 are confirmed as wolf-caused, and the rest are still being investigated, NOS reported.
The open question remains whether a fenced wolf area is feasible and when active management can actually begin — Erkens gave no date, and Mayor Zwiers said that if the answer is no, faster shooting is the remaining measure.