Residents demand action after wolf attacks leave them ‘completely out of control’

A group of livestock owners in Egtved, southern Denmark, have appealed to authorities for urgent help after two ponies were killed by wolves within two weeks, leaving them fearing for their own animals as the summer grazing season begins.

Local farmer Kurt Johansen, whose cattle graze just eight kilometres from where the ponies were attacked, told Danish broadcaster DR that residents feel the situation has spiralled beyond their control. “We’re all extremely worried, just waiting for the next attack,” he said. “We don’t even know what to do.”

Together with other livestock owners, Johansen has sent an email to the Danish Nature Agency (Naturstyrelsen) requesting a meeting to discuss how to manage the growing wolf problem in the Egtved area. “We want to sit down and talk about how to handle this—wolves are being spotted everywhere here,” he said.

The attacks have forced some residents to change their routines. Birgitte Gøtske, who runs a stud farm with 38 horses five kilometres from the attack site, now keeps her mares and foals indoors at night. “Those of us with horses are all afraid of going out to the pasture and finding something like this,” she said. While she would normally let the animals graze freely, she now brings them inside each evening.

Johansen stressed the need for immediate practical solutions before the summer grazing season begins in earnest. “How do we handle this? That’s what we need answers to now,” he said.

The Nature Agency directed the residents’ inquiry to the Danish Agency for Green Transition and Water Management (Styrelsen for Grøn Arealomlægning og Vandmiljø), which did not respond to DR’s request for comment.