Denmark: Hobby Hunter Shoots Pioneer She-Wolf

Two naturalists observing the she-wolf captured the moment the animal was shot on camera while filming.

The footage has caused widespread outrage, particularly because the shot was fired in such a bungling, hobby-hunter fashion.

The footage shows a female being shot by someone from a parked car. The wolf was not a threat and showed no aggression.

«Completely unacceptable»

Guillaume Chapron, Professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, said the killing was «completely unacceptable», as the wolf showed no aggressive behaviour before being shot, but rather «a mixture of caution and curiosity».

From the video footage of the animal's behaviour, there was absolutely no threat to humans and there was no indication whatsoever that this animal could become a threat.

He said it was difficult to find a reason for the shooting «other than simple wolf hatred and the belief that humans should not tolerate predators in the landscape».

«I don't think we have a problem wolf here, but we certainly have a ‘problem hunter’ and such people must be stopped.»

66-year-old hobby hunter charged

Police have charged a 66-year-old man from the area where the wolf was killed with «violation of hunting legislation».

He denies having killed the wolf, but refuses to provide police with any further information about the case. We have seized the man's car, from which he allegedly fired his weapon, as well as a number of hunting rifles at the man's residence.

First wolf pack in 200 years under threat

Wild wolves had not been seen in Denmark since 1813, until single males were spotted in the countryside in 2012. Last year, a young female wolf travelled 500 km from Germany to join the male wolves, founding Denmark's first functioning wolf pack in 200 years.

The wolves, believed to number only a handful, have settled in a well-managed area of heathland and small pine plantations with abundant prey in the form of red deer and roe deer in western Jutland. Experts say the death of a single animal could jeopardize the viability of the population.

Experts say there are more than 12’000 wolves in continental Europe (excluding Russia, Ukraine and Belarus), and that the wolf is a protected species under the EU Habitats Directive.

Chapron concluded by saying it was time to move beyond the “Little Red Riding Hood” image of the wolf.

We need to change our thinking. Other species, such as wild boar, regularly pose threats to humans — unlike the wolf — yet are tolerated.

More on Crime and Recreational Hunting and the Animal Welfare Issue.

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