The number of sheep behind a wolf-resistant fence in the pack’s habitat in the Drents-Friese Wold has hardly increased compared to last year. This is evident from a count by Hans Hapser, Drenthe coordinator of the Wolf Reporting Point. The number of locations where sheep were protected increased from 6 percent to 10 percent.
Hasper counted 9,973 sheep in the 555 square kilometer area, of which 2,026 were protected, or 20 percent. Last year this was 17 percent. In 2022, there was a doubling from 8 to 17 percent.
The number of locations where sheep were kept fell by about a fifth, from 452 to 370, while the total number of sheep outside was higher. So there were more sheep outside per location last year than in 2023
Last year, Hasper also checked whether other ungulates were behind a wolf-resistant fence, because keepers of cattle, horses, alpacas and pigs have also been able to apply for a subsidy for wolf-resistant fences since April 1, 2023. Of these, about 5 percent were protected.
The count was carried out on behalf of the province. Hasper counted from the car, without using an electricity meter. The height of the wires has also not been measured. It is therefore not entirely certain whether the grids were wolf-resistant.
A grid is considered wolf-resistant if it has at least five wires carrying 4.5 kilovolts. The bottom wire may hang a maximum of 20 centimeters above the ground; wolves are more likely to dig than to jump. The other wires should hang at a height of 40, 60, 90 and 120 centimeters.
