Greek prosecutor orders removal of wolves from national park, sparking scientific backlash

From Ekathimerini.com:

A Greek prosecutor has ordered the removal of wolves from Mount Parnitha National Park near Athens and their relocation to northern Greece – a decision that has shocked scientists and conservationists, who warn it is both ecologically damaging and logistically unworkable.

The directive, issued about ten days ago by the prosecutor for animal protection, instructs the Parnitha forestry service to capture the wolves and transport them to another region. Authorities, caught off guard, are now scrambling to determine how to carry out the order.

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Zoo Knoxville welcomes litter of endangered red wolf pups

From WATE.com:

Zoo Knoxville is now home to six newborn pups belonging to the species known as the most endangered wolf in the world after the litter was born on Earth Day. Zoo Knoxville announced the April 22 birth of the litter of red wolf pups on Thursday, sharing that they were born to parents Buckeye and Cirilla.

Zoo staff closely monitored the cubs during their first week to make sure they were developing properly and gaining weight. Now, keepers have taken a more hands-off approach to allow the wolves to display natural behaviors and parent on their own.

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Wolf Protection Downgrade Gets Green Light In EU

From Barrons.com:

EU lawmakers on Thursday gave the green light to downgrading wolf protections in the bloc, which will allow hunting to resume under strict criteria.

Members of the Bern Convention, tasked with the protection of wildlife in Europe as well as some African countries, agreed in December to lower the wolf’s status from “strictly protected” to “protected”.

The downgrade came into force in March, and the European Commission moved immediately to revise related EU laws to reflect the change.

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Hunting wolves is about to become more common in Europe – here’s why

From Independent.Co.UK:

Wolf hunting is set to become easier across the EU as the European Parliament votes to loosen restrictions on the practice across its member nations.

This move downgrades the animal’s protection status, reflecting a similar change under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. EU member states had already approved the measure last month.

The change lowers wolves’ status in EU law from “strictly protected” to “protected.” While this allows EU countries to permit wolf hunting, they remain obligated to prevent the species from becoming endangered. This could involve measures such as limiting hunting seasons.

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[Colorado Parks and Wildlife] Commissioners approve another wolf depredation claim while tabling another

From Denver7.com:

The wolf discussion at Wednesday’s Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission meeting lasted several hours, ranging from approving and tabling two depredation claims to the latest map showing wolves in the Ralston Creek watershed.

The CPW Commission met in Durango on Wednesday for the first day of its two-day gathering to discuss a myriad of topics, including the latest on wolves. They initially touched on a wolf claim that they decided to approve, and later had a lengthy discussion regarding a claim that they ultimately, with the rancher’s agreement, tabled for another time.

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife tracking up to four possible wolf dens

From PostIndependent.com:

For wolves, the beginning of May signals the end of denning season.

While Colorado Parks and Wildlife is tracking up to four pairs of wolves that could be denning, none have been confirmed, according to Eric Odell, the agency’s wolf conservation program manager.

“We are monitoring one to three to four pairs of animals that could be denning,” Odell said at the May 7 meeting for the agency’s commission.

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Otter’s return to [Belgian] Flanders highlights shared threat with wolves: Road traffic

From BelganNewsAgency.eu:

The otter, long absent from Flanders, was recently spotted in Willebroek – raising hopes of a cautious comeback. But like wolves, which have become established in parts of Belgium, otters now face a major threat: road traffic.

Considered locally extinct since the 1980s, the otter is now making a cautious return to Belgium, thanks to improved water quality and wetland restoration efforts led by WWF and its partners. But conservationists warn that road traffic could become a major threat to its survival – a problem already evident in the Netherlands.

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EPP not planning to use wolf vote to target more environment rules

From Euractiv.com:

The EPP will not use a final vote on Thursday to loosen protections for wolves as a vehicle to also open hunting of other species, but right-wing groups are being watched to see if they will seek further cuts to the EU’s nature rules.

The European Commission’s proposal to downgrade the protection status of wolves within the EU will be voted by the European Parliament after MEPs in Strasbourg decided to fast-track the procedure today.

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EU Parliament ‘fast tracks’ vote on wolves’ protection status

From Agriland.ie:

The European Parliament has today (Tuesday, May 6) decided to “fast track” a vote to change the EU’s protection status for wolves from “strictly protected” to “protected”.

The parliament voted, by show of hands, to fast track its work on draft legislation that would enable a targeted change of the Habitats Directive. MEPs are set to vote on the proposal this Thursday (May 8).

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Wolves Roam California Again, Reviving Old Fears and New Conflicts in Ranch Country

From KQED.org:

For decades, gray wolves were thought to have been hunted and poisoned into extinction in California, with the last sighting of the animal in the 1920s.But that changed in late 2011, when a wolf wearing a radio collar crossed into the state from Oregon.

In the years since, California’s gray wolf population has grown into the dozens, with most roaming the far northern part of the state. State Department of Fish and Wildlife officials say wolfpack activity has been reported in Shasta, Lassen, Plumas and Sierra counties. But in some of those areas, like Modoc County, the wolf’s reappearance is fueling a backlash — especially among cattle ranchers, who see the apex predator as a growing menace.

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