Wolves in Denmark are here to stay, say wildlife experts

Denmark must adapt to the permanent presence of wolves, two wildlife experts have warned, following recent attacks on livestock in the southern Jutland region, DR reports.

A pony was killed and partially eaten in two separate incidents over a two-week period in Egtved, south of Vejle, in what are believed to be wolf attacks. The cases have reignited debate over how much predation by wolves should be tolerated as the species establishes itself in Denmark.

Rasmus Sebastian Nielsen, director of Givskud Zoo, said Danes must accept that wolves—absent from the country for centuries—are now part of the landscape. “We haven’t had to live with a large predator in Denmark for the past few hundred years, and we need to get used to that now,” he told P1 Debat, a DR radio programme.

“If we want wolves in Denmark, we either have to accept that some livestock will be killed, or we need to do a better job of securing our animals with proper fencing,” Nielsen added.

Non-fearful wolves should be culled, says nature educator

Nature educator Sebastian Klein argued that wolves losing their natural fear of humans pose a safety risk and should be culled. He cited a winter incident in Blåvand where a woman reported a wolf approaching within a metre of her.

“That’s not acceptable. This is also about people’s sense of security,” Klein said on P1 Debat. “If people are terrified—and many are, even if the fear isn’t rational—authorities need to act and ensure wolves maintain some fear of humans.”

Klein stressed that while wolves generally avoid humans, coexistence requires adaptation, including better protective measures like wolf-proof fencing. “The wolf isn’t going away, even if we start regulating their numbers,” he said.

Since 2024, Danish municipalities have received 37 million kroner (€4.96 million) in subsidies to build wolf-exclusion fences, according to JydskeVestkysten.

Wolves are a protected species in the EU, meaning culling is only permitted in cases of “problem wolves” that attack livestock behind secured enclosures. The European Parliament recently voted to downgrade the wolf’s protection status, though the practical impact remains limited.