It’s been well documented that wolves have arrived in Denmark in recent years, with sightings and evidence becoming more common.
But just south of the Danish border in Slesvig-Holsten, wolves are really making their presence felt, particularly to the farming communities.
In 2016 there was registered 56 instances of wolf attacks on farm animals in Slesvig-Holsten, with sheep bearing the brunt of the attacks.
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Respecting humans
In total, 55 sheep were killed, but the wolves also attacked four cows, geese and other poultry, and while hunting associations believe the handling of the wolf situation in the area works fine, there are concerns that some of the predators have lost respect for humans and housing areas.
“We use the wolf program to keep up with their development and everyone involved is pleased with that,” Horst Bröge, the head of a hunting association south-east of Flensborg, told Flensborg Avis newspaper.
“But there are more and more wolves and some have lose respect for humans and buildings. We need to make it clear that veterinarians, the police and hunters must take action in specific dangerous situations.”
Bröge went on to underline that owners of mauled and killed farm animals receive generous compensation for animals lost in wolf attacks.
