EU lowering protection status for wolves
Most European countries have adopted a proposal to downgrade wolves’ protection from hunting due to the increasing numbers of the mammals and their impact on agriculture and livestock, Reuters reports
From March 7th, 2025, wolves will be downgraded from ‘strictly protected’ to ‘protected’ under the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats – a move condemned by animal welfare groups.
Until now, wolves have been protected from deliberate hunting or trapping unless they pose a serious threat to livestock or human health and safety.
Under the new statute, any ‘exploitation’ of wolves ‘must be regulated to keep the population out of danger,’ which effectively means a much lower ‘threshold’ for hunting them.
