Sheep farmer Bert Zinger from Hijken clashes strongly with Dion Graus of the PVV, who wants a contraceptive dart in the wolf’s buttock

“In this way we as sheep farmers are forced to stop,” Zinger Graus snapped. Graus is more or less alone within the large PVV faction: he is against hunting the wolf and reiterates that he believes there are more “problem people than problem wolves”. But his party is at the formation table with the BBB and Graus acknowledges that the majority of his group is probably in favor of tackling the wolf.

According to Graus, without hunting something can certainly be done about the nuisance caused by wolves. “We can make the wolf infertile by putting a dart in the wolf’s buttock. A hormone dart, a contraceptive dart. You don’t have to kill him.”

Sheep farmer Zinger doesn’t see any point in that at all. And Drenthe deputy Egbert van Dijk of the BBB also laughs heartily about it. “You can perhaps do sterilization in the zoo, but that is never possible in nature,” says Van Dijk.

Protected status down

Two petitions against the wolf were presented in the House of Representatives. First one from the provinces of Gelderland and Drenthe and sixteen municipalities and LTO Netherlands. Then one from the organization Nowolvesbenelux.nl. They all advocate tougher measures against the wolf and lowering the protected status, allowing hunting and more money for farmers to take fencing and other measures.

There will be a hearing in the House of Representatives on Thursday where eleven organizations and experts will have their say. In addition, there are animal protection organizations that want to get tougher on livestock farmers and make them responsible for problems with the wolf. But also fierce opponents of the wolf.

Decisive NSC has doubts

It is politically a divisive issue between left and right, as MP Harm Holman of NSC from Roden also sees. According to him, the NSC faction has not yet determined its position. The NSC could well have a decisive vote.

Holman expects that it will be difficult to really achieve a natural balance with wolves in the Netherlands. “That doesn’t work well with the fox either. Before foxes really starve, just about all rabbits and birds in an area have disappeared, the question is whether what they want is what they want.”

NSC is therefore inclined towards introducing ‘control measures’ but is not enthusiastic about hunting the wolf. “We will see it on Thursday and then determine our position,” says Holman.

In the meantime, Graus was already in full discussion with the members of NowolvesBenelux.nl who also offered a petition. Graus also insisted to them that hunting is not a solution. “The fox is also overhunted. This has created a large surplus of geese. Farmers are much more bothered by this than by foxes.”