According to the Carinthian wolf ordinance, the responsible provincial councilor Martin Gruber (ÖVP) announced in a broadcast on Tuesday that there had been a possibility of shooting there for four weeks. It is the first shot in accordance with the Carinthian wolf ordinance, which allows the protected animals to be hunted if they kill many livestock or repeatedly venture into populated areas.
The shooting down by a hunter was reported to the state of Carinthia within 24 hours, as required by the ordinance. The country’s wolf commissioner assessed the circumstances and confirmed that the she-wolf was killed within the radius allowed by the ordinance. Just two weeks ago, more than 20 sheep were killed in the Gailtal in one night. It was initially unclear whether the wolf was killed, DNA samples were taken. According to Gruber, around 400 livestock kills have already been recorded in Carinthia this year, and wolves have been sighted or frightened around 30 times in the settlement area in Carinthia.
The Carinthian wolf ordinance, which was presented at the beginning of the year, speaks of “malicious wolves” and “risk wolves”. A bad wolf is an animal that verifiably kills or injures 20 (or 35 in three months) livestock on an alpine pasture in one month. At-risk wolves are those that repeatedly venture into settlements. If an attempt is made to frighten such a wolf (e.g. with a warning shot) and it still shows up in the populated area, it can be shot. There is a radius of ten kilometers around the sighting site.
WWF shaken
The nature conservation organization WWF is shocked by the shooting down of a wolf in Carinthia. “Today is a black day in Austrian nature conservation. The wolf is a species that is strictly protected under European law for good reason,” said Christian Pichler, from WWF Austria. The shooting permit by the state of Carinthia is an indictment and shows the unwillingness of politicians to support professional solutions such as livestock protection. In addition, the regulation on which the shooting license is based contradicts both European law and the nationwide management plan.
Your opinion matters:
For Gruber, the shooting proves that “humans and animals can be protected from problem wolves” with the help of the regulation. And he has already prophylactically protected the hunters involved: “I would like to thank the hunters for their support in implementing the regulation and I will protect anyone who is attacked for it.”
Source: Nachrichten
