Overview
- State secretary Silvio Erkens announced Friday a package that lets provinces pre‑prepare kill permits so they can shoot a wolf that attacks people without weeks of delay.
- The government defined a problem wolf with examples that include a wolf that twice jumps a wolf‑proof fence or is seen twice near a school or playground.
- Provincial teams may now deter wolves with paintball guns or rubber bullets, and farmers may scare them off with lights and sound without a permit.
- Officials in Gelderland and Drenthe and farm group LTO Noord welcomed the plan as more room to act quickly to protect people and livestock.
- The measures draw on Europe’s lower protection status for wolves, yet permits remain subject to court review after past suspensions such as a December halt of a planned cull in De Hoge Veluwe.