Survey: 68 percent want strict wolf protection

68% in favour of strict wolf protection

Large predators, including wolves, should remain strictly protected in the EU and have a right to coexist with humans, according to the overwhelming majority of rural residents in ten EU member states.

The survey published in November 2023 shows that many rural residents support the protection of wolves and other predators: 68% are convinced that they should be strictly protected, and more than two thirds (72%) agree that they have a right to coexistence.

«The return of wolves to Europe is a cause for celebration, not fear. The results of this survey clearly show that the majority of people living near wolves support their protected status and are willing to coexist with them.»

Reineke Hameleers, CEO, Eurogroup for Animals

Recreational hunting lobby feels poorly represented

The agricultural and recreational hunting lobby has repeatedly pushed to downgrade the protected status of wolves. Nevertheless, a very small proportion of respondents said they feel well represented by the interest groups of recreational hunters (12%) and agriculture (18%).

66% of respondents stated that decision-makers, including EU institutions, should prioritise the conservation of large predators. 65% said that the killing of individual problematic predators should only occur when it can be demonstrated that adequate protective measures have been implemented and have failed. Wolves play a crucial role, among other things, in regulating prey populations, preventing overgrazing and ultimately contributing to healthier ecosystems.

Coexistence Instead of Culling

62% of respondents stated that they would feel safer if they better understood how wolves and bears behave and how to drive them away in the event of an encounter.

Instruments to prevent and compensate for the economic damage that wolves cause to livestock are in place, and in light of these findings, we call on the European Commission and other EU institutions to listen to the voice of rural communities, to maintain the strict protection status of wolf populations, and to continue implementing an ambitious Habitats Directive.

Dossier: The Wolf in Switzerland: Facts, Politics, and the Limits of Hunting

Participate: Petition your municipality for a tax remission on federal and cantonal taxes, citing the disastrous policies of Federal Councillor Albert Rösti (SVP) and the recently approved culling of wolves in Switzerland. You can download the template letter here: https://wildbeimwild.com/ein-appell-fuer-eine-veraenderung-in-der-schweiz/