Back in 2016 I helped identify wolves that had returned to Germany
https://foxwildcatwolverineproject.blogspot.com/2023/04/wolf-identified-in-germany-in-2016.html
At the time everybody was happy and celebrating -"We are not France -Germany welcomes wolves!" and so on and so forth. Since then the progress of wolves and jackals has been monitored and advisories sent out so that people are familiar with the canids. That is eight -8- years in which to build up fencing and adequately house horses and so on overnight. Apparently only a few have bothered. No surprise then that livestock (which should be covered by insurance and when it comes to sheep are destined to be bred and slaughtered and not as family pets).
In the 1960s and 1970s one thing us kids were told to avoid were the fences where there were yellow markers on the wire instead of white. This were electrified cattle fences and one day I accidentally touche4de one of these fences. It felt as though a horse had kicked me in the stomach and I( know what a horse kick feels like. Some farmers still had these fences in the 1980s and it seems still do even if traditional farming is declining. According to Insights into German Consumers’ Perceptions of Virtual Fencing in Grassland-Based Beef and Dairy Systems: Recommendations for Communication by Ekaterina Stampa,* Katrin Zander, and Ulrich Hamm https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7761168/ :
"The share of cattle grazing on grassland is decreasing in many European countries. While the production costs of intensive stall-based beef and dairy systems are usually lower per kg product, grazing-based systems provide more ecosystem services that are valued by consumers."
They note the use of electric fencing and here is where a solution to any wolf predation can be found. A rather robust farm dog once accidentally walked into a cattle fence and afterwards it kept a wide birth of electrified and regular fencing. That "kick" told it to keep away. Wolves are opportunistic so moving through an area they will eat when they can. Any sensible livestock or horse keeper would have -or should have- decided to err on the side of caution and start putting in protective fences as soon as they know (and it is not a secret) that wolf numbers were growing.
It is common sense to move horses into stables at night -this was always a common practice particularly before wolves were wiped out in Germany and France in the 19th century. One reason so many old European farms are enclosed by walls with entry gate was to protect against predation. Von der Leyen would obviously be shocked to have her horse killed and I sympathise with her there but she is a very wealthy woman so knowing full well there were wolves in her area why was the horse not securely stabled at night?
It seems that the prevailing attitude is to not spend a penny on secure fencing or stabling. No alpha wolf coming into contact with an electric fence is going to try it again and the others would follow the example. There is even wolf proof fencing used successfully in the United States to protect against wolves, coyotes and bears
According to some with experience the best fence for wolves is a 7-wire permanent high-tensile electric fence with wires spaced equally 6" – 8" apart and a height of 42" to 54" high is commonly recommended for deterring bears and wolves. In special situations, a 9 or 11-wire fence may be necessary. If wolves are to be protected and livestock then this is the best solution and I have no doubt the EU representatives backed by the farmers would have no trouble securing EU funding for this.
Which wolf killed von der Leyen's horse? Shoot one...oh, the rest of the pack are a "problem"? Well, the hunting fraternity in Germany that has been decrying wolf protection because it's something they can hunt and kill have the right connections. They can twist facts (as hunters do in most countries) to show that all livestock are in danger and (the one they all love to use) as are children and pets.
There are plenty of wild prey animals in Germany from hares, rabbits, deer, boar, wild fowl and much more. Deterrents such as electric fencing and adequate stabling at night and perhaps investment in one of the numerous breeds of European wolf dogs that are bred to deter wolves and protect livestock are good ideas. If there are no easy pickings then the wolves will move on to where there is -hunting a more natural prey.
We are seeing far too much of this "We welcome wolves" and then the knee jerk reaction when numbers grow slightly and a sheep or horse is killed. Everyone involved in farming in EU countries knows of wolves and jackals so there is no excuse to suffer livestock losses other than not wanting to invest in livestock protection -spending money always hurts (it is what hurts when livestock are killed not the loss of the animal itself but market value). We have seen one EU country after another make excuses for wanting to kill wolves (hunters tend to have deep pockets) by using 'logic' opposite to that used in welcoming the canids.
Nothing has changed. Farmers back EU or government ministers and farmers are traditionally allied with if not actual hunters. I've lived there and have seen how it works. And no politician wants to lose their valuable and profitable job so... "KILL THE WOLVES!"
Europe or the United States we see it all the time; "We must bring back the wolves/coyotes/jackals!" followed by "Success -the wolves/coyotes.jackals are back!" and give it a year or two and "We'll issue (sell) hunting licences to get rid of the problem animal!" Then..."Oh, more were killed than should have been" which is a bit late to realise that your 'fun' time was not monitored. It's not new and the Wolf Preservation Blog noted hundreds of wolves killed in the US in 2012
https://wolfpreservation.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/hunters-kill-hundreds-of-wolves-in-us/
And in 2016 Oregon slaughtered an entire wolf pack
I have also reported far too many times on this blog about countries such as Norway and Sweden who dish out licences to enable the wiping out of their wolf populations. This is 2023 in the more environmental and conservation based EU and (tongue-in-cheek) United States.
Perhaps Ms von der Leyen ought to suck it up (sorry for the loss of her horse but sick of what is going on) and set an example to the European community she heads and invest money in anti-wolf deterrents rather than push for the types of scenes we see (proudly photographed) from the United States because this is the end result of beginning the killing of wolves in Europe.
But what would I know? I've only studied canids for 50 years and cannot offer "sweeteners" or hunting licences.
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Hunters have been given permission to shoot a wolf that killed Ursula von der Leyen’s beloved pet pony after a permit to kill the animal was issued.
The European Commission president, a keen equestrian and mother of seven, said her whole family was “horribly distressed” after the predator killed Dolly at her home in Lower Saxony in September 2022.
The wolf, known only as GW950m, remains at large and leads a “problem pack” in the forests of Hanover’s Burgdorf and the Beinhorner Waldchen areas.
A permit to kill the animal comes into force next week and lasts until February 2024. It allows hunters to use night vision devices and sights to shoot if the wolf pack reappears within a 150 metre radius of a previous attack.
GW950m is believed to be involved in the killing of another five horses, 47 sheep, four cattle and three goats.
In recent months Ms von der Leyen has signalled a willingness to relax EU protections against wolves, which she says are a “real danger” to livestock.
She has been accused of waging a personal vendetta against the wild animals following the death of her 30-year-old pony.
Leonie Vestering, a Dutch MP from the Party for the Animals, said: “Are we going to allow [her] to abuse her power for a personal payback because one of her ponies fell victim to the wolf?
“If the wolf is no longer protected, there is a good chance that it will be exterminated by hunting, as it was in the 19th century.”
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