Critics say Denmark makes it too difficult to shoot problem wolves

Although the problem wolf near Nørre Nebel has been shot, the Danish government is facing criticism from several sides over what opponents call an overly bureaucratic process. DR reported that the wolf was killed by the Danish Nature Agency on Thursday evening near Houstrup, north of Oksbøl.

Strict rules apply before a wolf can be shot. Authorities must establish a control zone, experts must determine whether the animal qualifies as a problem wolf, and the Danish Nature Agency must organise the operation, potentially with hunters and drones equipped with thermal cameras.

“It should be made simpler, without so much bureaucracy. Then we would not have to set the whole circus in motion every time,” said Steffen Troldtoft, spokesperson for Wolves-Free Denmark.

Kim Edberg Andersen, the Danish Democrats’ animal welfare spokesperson, said the government should have established a control zone across Jutland long ago. A nationwide zone would have avoided waiting for the minister to designate a new area where the wolf could be shot, he said.

Troldtoft said he would like all hunters to be allowed to shoot wolves within 200 metres of homes.

But Christian Rabjerg Madsen, the minister for nature and animal welfare, said the government could not simply authorise hunters to shoot wolves across Jutland. “Control zones are not something you can just establish without a professional basis,” he said.

The minister said the zone around Oksbøl, Nørre Nebel and Houstrup had been established because a problem wolf was displaying behaviour that was approaching people. That decision made it possible to shoot the animal, he said.

Rabjerg Madsen said he would instead seek changes to current European Union rules so it would become easier to shoot wolves displaying threatening behaviour. He also wants better data on the number of wolves in Denmark, with the aim of securing a “favourable conservation status” for the species in the EU. That could allow ordinary hunting and regulation of wolves.

Such changes would enable authorities to respond more effectively and quickly when wolves display behaviour that makes people feel unsafe, the minister said.