Image: (APA/HANS KLAUS TECHT)
The new regulation was passed unanimously by the state government on Tuesday. The regulation will come into force on April 3, it is initially limited to two years, as LH deputy Stephan Pernkopf (ÖVP) explained to journalists. So far, possible steps in the event of wolf activity were regulated in what is now known as the first regulation of the Lower Austrian Hunting Act.
deterrence or shooting
The scenarios of harmless, conspicuous, undesirable and, last but not least, problematic behavior of the wolf are listed in the appendix. Measures to prevent damage to livestock are therefore deterrence or shooting. They should be used in levels 3 (undesirable behavior) and 4 (problematic behavior). The two lower levels provide for public information and monitoring. Scares and shootings must generally be ordered by the authorities.
No official order necessary
Here the so-called second wolf regulation brings a change. An official order is no longer required. On the other hand, the precise behavior of the predator is defined, which may result in corresponding actions. In the case of deterrence by hunters in the form of warning shots or scare guns, this includes, among other things, a wolf approaching a settlement more than 100 meters more than twice within a week and being observed in the process, or the animal attacking a settlement more than twice within seven days man-made source of food – such as compost or organic waste. Unwanted behavior is considered characteristic of deterrence.
Withdrawal within four weeks
If a wolf shows problematic behavior, it can be removed within four weeks from the hunting area where this activity was recorded. A wolf can be killed if, among other things, it stays in a settlement or in the vicinity of inhabited buildings more than twice within a week “during the human activity period”, ie from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Removal can also occur if the animal follows a person despite attempts to evict it, or kills a dog in a settlement or inhabited area.
In general, the new ordinance also covers “expulsion by anyone” using optical and acoustic signals. After each such action – as well as as a result of deterrence or removal – the person authorized to hunt in the respective area must be informed immediately. Furthermore, a telephone or written report must be sent to the responsible district administrative authority within 24 hours. This then takes over the examination or sampling.
Four packs in the Waldviertel
According to Pernkopf, there are currently seven wolf packs in Austria, four of which are located in the Lower Austrian Waldviertel. In addition, there were individuals passing through, and the number of cracks in livestock and wild animals had “almost doubled” since 2020. Not least because of this, people feel their “subjective security is threatened” and the new regulation has become necessary as a result. The withdrawal remains the “last resort”, emphasized the state deputy.
According to the state, there has not been a wolf shot in Lower Austria to date. Accordingly, deterrence notices were issued in the federal state in 2018 (for ten hunting areas) and 2022 (in nine hunting areas).
“Not endangered anymore”
For wildlife biologist Klaus Hackländer, the current protection status of wolves must be “adapted to reality and weakened”. The population in Europe is growing by a third a year, and the animal has been “not endangered” for years. According to an estimate by Hackländer, there are currently 70 individuals in Austria – packs and individual animals combined.
The FPÖ regional councillor, Gottfried Waldhäusl, who is also responsible for animal protection, welcomed the amendment on Tuesday as “a common sense solution”. The idea of protection shouldn’t end with the wolf, one must also “think of the animals endangered by it”.
Source: Nachrichten
