The case had dragged on in the courts for two years due to an appeal by a wildlife protection foundation. Dutch justice finally authorized on Wednesday, in a national park in the Netherlands, paintball shooting against wolves which could represent a “danger to public safety”.
The wolf is a protected species in Europe, meaning that disturbing or hunting them is prohibited without a special exemption. The province of Gelderland (center) issued such an exemption at the end of 2022, authorizing law enforcement to use paintball guns. A wolf, probably young, had indeed gotten too close to hikers in the Hoge Veluwe national park (east). The province deemed the animal to have “abnormal” behavior. But the Faunabescherming foundation took the case to court, explaining that the curiosity of young wolves was normal behavior.
Yelling or throwing stones is not considered effective
After a provisional suspension of the decision, the Utrecht court (center) ended up agreeing with the authorities, explaining, after an expert report, that they were “entitled to conclude that the abnormal behavior of at least a wolf presents a danger to public safety.” And it was therefore possible to shoot the animal with a paintball gun. Other methods like shouting, clapping, throwing rocks or using pepper spray were considered ineffective.
The European Commission announced in December that it wanted to lower the level of protection enjoyed by wolves in the EU, judging that their excessive numbers now represent a danger, in particular for livestock.