(Strasbourg/24.11.2022) Today, the European Parliament voted in a resolution to ask the European Commission to address the issue of wolves. The supporters of the resolution are concerned with the suspension of the Habitats Directive for the wolf, through which it is under strict protection.

Manuela Ripa, Member of the European Parliament for the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP), is disappointed by the majority in favor of the resolution. In addition, the MEP notes: “The fairy tales, which are spread in particular by the conservative EPP group about the allegedly ‘bad wolves’, are completely misplaced. For humans, the shy animal poses no danger. Moreover, as far as the protection of sheep and other farm animals from wolf attacks is concerned, there are ways to improve it significantly. Under EU law, herd protection through fencing, dogs, and conservation measures is 100 percent eligible for funding from the EU’s Rural Development Fund (EAFRD). Accordingly, it is up to national authorities to take advantage of these opportunities and consistently implement herd protection as an effective measure. The livestock owners must also be supported and informed about effective herd protection.”

The MEP stresses that exemptions to shoot individual animals must not be considered until all alternative measures to protect livestock have been exhausted in advance. The protection status of wolves and other protected wild animals should not be negotiable.

The ÖDP politician recalls the important role that the wolf plays in the ecosystem. In addition, wolves feed on wild animals such as deer, wild boar, and deer to over 95 percent. They only attack grazing animals if they are not protected through herd protection measures.

Manuela Ripa, therefore, calls on the European Commission to maintain a high level of protection for the wolf at all costs. “The wolf is a valuable component of biological nature conservation. Moreover, most wolf packs behave in a way that they are unnoticed. At a time when we are experiencing one of the greatest species extinctions in the history of the earth, the return of a species that has been eradicated in Germany is to be welcomed,” the MEP concludes.