The majority of Bavarians welcome the renewed spread of otters in the Free State and are against the fact that the predators in Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate can be shot down. This was the result of a representative survey by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of the environmental organization WWF. With 68.7 percent, more than two thirds of those surveyed find the return of the large marten species in the Free State a good thing. 53.5 percent are opposed to the strictly protected animals being allowed to be killed in the two government districts since August 1 of this year.
“The survey results clearly show that the otter has what Prime Minister Markus Söder can only dream of, namely an absolute majority,” says WWF wildlife expert Moritz Klose. “With the general power of attorney for the arbitrary removal of otters, the state government is not only disregarding species protection law, but is also ignoring the will of the people in Bavaria.” According to the survey, the otter enjoys great sympathy across party lines, even if there is a certain gap. 93.6 percent of the Greens supporters welcome the re-spreading, among SPD voters it is 83 percent. AfD supporters follow in third place with 68.8 percent, followed closely by Union voters with 66.2 percent. The FDP voters bring up the rear (59.6 percent).
The conclusion from the point of view of the WWF: “The fate of the otter moves people,” says Klose. “The animals belong to Bavaria like the Alpine panorama and Lederhosen.” The return of the species is a result of decades of conservation work that needs to be defended. The WWF and other environmental organizations could build on broad public support. In the meantime, 67,553 people have signed an appeal by the WWF against the shooting clearance.
With its new otter ordinances, the state government released 32 animals for shooting on August 1, 2023 in Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate. This corresponds to about five percent of the stock that lives in the two administrative districts according to a monitoring by the State Institute for Agriculture (lfL). The pond keepers there had previously complained about increasing damage caused by predators in their fish ponds. According to Minister of Agriculture Michaela Kaniber (CSU), in 2022 they amounted to almost 2.7 million euros across Bavaria, which is almost a tenfold increase compared to 2016.
With the launches, the feeding damage should be contained. However, the pond owners must assume full legal responsibility. From the point of view of lawyers, it is very questionable whether the regulations are tenable in court. Therefore there is great dissatisfaction among the pond keepers. The Bund Naturschutz and other environmental organizations have already announced lawsuits against the otter regulations.