The German Animal Welfare Federation and its Bavarian state association criticize the fact that the current debate about wolves is characterized by clientele politics and scaremongering instead of focusing on goal-oriented solutions. The Bavarian state government, for example, decided on a regulation for the faster shooting of wolves - instead of advancing the necessary herd protection. In the Bundestag, two motions from the opposition - from the CDU/CSU and the AFD - have just been rejected, which, among other things, provided for the inclusion of wolves in hunting law and the regulation of wolf populations.
"Markus Söder's grandiloquent announcement that wolves in a region could be shot if just one of the animals has killed an unprotected farm animal is absurd. The proposed regulation is neither legally compliant nor practicable, i.e. just election campaign rhetoric and hot air. EU law also applies in Bavaria," commented Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation. Like other nature and species conservation organizations, the federation assumes that the Bavarian regulation will be overturned by the EU Commission in the event of a lawsuit.
"Especially in Bavaria, which prides itself on its beautiful nature and biodiversity, politicians have done absolutely nothing for years, even though it was clear that wolves would eventually settle permanently in our Alpine region and form packs. Instead of developing herd protection concepts specifically for the alpine pastures and initiating and specifically promoting innovative developments, an unsustainable regulation has now been knitted with a hot needle," criticizes Ilona Wojahn, Chairwoman of the Bavarian State Federation of the German Animal Welfare Federation. As with other animal species that do not fit into the concept - such as otters, bears or beavers - the reaction is simply to use the shotgun.
HUNTING NEITHER NECESSARY NOR EFFECTIVE
Shooting wolves does not reduce the number of wolf kills because wolves can migrate through Germany and Europe at any time and use unprotected grazing animals as a food source. In addition, shooting wolves can destroy pack structures and therefore demonstrably lead to more kills - for example, if there is no leadership of young wolves by parent animals that have been killed. "Shooting more wolves or including them in hunting legislation will not help any shepherds or alpine farmers," the German Animal Welfare Federation makes clear. The federation points to France, where - despite a large number of wolves being shot and fewer wolves overall - the hunting figures are significantly higher than in Germany. The only sustainable method of protecting grazing animals from wolves that is in line with animal welfare standards is adequate herd protection measures, such as electric fences, livestock guarding dogs or night pens. If these are accepted by a resident wolf pack, the pack itself will ensure that no foreign wolves enter the area. Shepherding could also play a role again in the future.
