The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has placed very tight constraints on the granting of permits allowing wolves to be shot. In their ruling on 10 October, the judges concluded that stringent conditions must first be met before any wolves are killed.
In some parts of Europe wolf populations are growing. Relaxing the measures which protect them could, however, put many wolf populations at risk again – this makes the ECJ judgement all the more important!
© Wolf SteigerAnti-wolf propaganda in Europe has increased significantly in recent years, in parallel to the animals recolonising their former habitat. In Finland, for example, the country’s environmental authorities had been issuing hunting licenses permitting the shooting of wolves since 2015. A Finnish nature conservation organisation consequently filed a complaint with the ECJ, and has now won its case.
In their ruling, the judges in Luxembourg pointed to the strict conditions of the EU Habitats Directive (under which the wolf is protected) and concluded that any culling must be carried out in a selective and targeted manner. In Europe, wolves may only be shot if the authorities are able to demonstrate a clear objective for doing so, and, if it can be proven that the culling is to be undertaken in pursuit of that objective. This would apply, for instance, where there have been repeated attacks on grazing animals despite there being measures in place to protect livestock.
Magdalena Kulisch, wolf conservationist at EuroNatur, responded positively to the ECJ ruling: “With this judgement, calls for a relaxation of the strict measures protecting wolves have been clearly dismissed. General culling, for which there are also sometimes calls in Germany, does not comply with the law.”