You’d best avoid wearing a red riding hood when traversing the Dutch wilderness, as wolves in the Netherlands are becoming increasingly bold towards humans. One Utrecht court, however, is determined to change that.
Over the years, as wolves in the Netherlands bounced back from near extinction, a distinct problem unveiled itself: the animals are no longer afraid of people.
Whilst less fearful wolves might seem adorable from a distance, the court warned that they were still fully capable of being aggressive and biting the people (and animals) they come into contact with.
The wolves’ behaviour is a “threat”, says Utrecht court
One long, drawn-out legal battle about the emboldened canines’ behaviour later, the court’s decision was not in the wolves’ favour.
Oeps das maar goed dat deze jonge op een racefiets ging en niet op een scootmobiel. De wolf wordt steeds gevaarlijker pic.twitter.com/3x3YehoS9n— Jan Cees Vogelaar. (@JanCeesVogelaar) November 3, 2022
It was decided that the animals’ behaviour posed a “serious threat to public safety” and that it was time to bring out the big guns.
Errr… the big paintball guns, that is.
As other methods of scaring the animals off — including pulling out the pepper spray — have proved to be largely ineffective, this was the only option left on the table. (Somehow. 👀)
In the future, the European Commission also hopes to change the wolves’ protected status, enabling them to be hunted.
What do you think about the court’s decision to allow firing paintball guns at the wolves? Tell us all your thoughts in the comments below!
I am a Canadian who has lived in both the Netherlands and Belgium. I love wolves, having seen them in their natural habitat in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. However, the Hoge Veluwe is not a natural habitat; I have visited there a number of times. Normally a creature who avoids humans, wolves, will, under a variety of stresses, indeed attack persons and can be a particular threat vulnerable persons such as the aged and infirm or children. A wolf in an attack frenzy who is not afraid of humans will not be stopped by a paintball gun, indeed it might actually further enrage the animal. The solution is expert hunters and marksmen to cull the animal under restricted conditions. So a regulation by urban bureaucrats is Brussels overrides safety? Errant nonsense.