The wolf is no longer a “strictly protected species” in Europe.
In December, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention voted to downgrade its status, accepting a controversial EU proposal. A proposal in fact supported by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, after a wolf killed her pony in 2022.
The wolf remains a “protected species”, but Member States will now have more flexibility to cull it. Farmers have long been calling for less stringent rules on culling. For the environmental associations, however, this is a blow to biodiversity, with no scientific basis.
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The paradox of balancing conservation efforts for Himalayan wolves and snow leopards (commentary)
From News.Mongabay.com:
Although snow leopards cause greater livestock losses than Himalayan wolves, human communities generally show greater tolerance and acceptance toward snow leopards. This ‘predator paradox,’ where the more damaging predator is more tolerated, leads to less conservation support for wolves and more for snow leopards.
“Both snow leopards and wolves are crucial to the Himalayan ecosystem, but conservation has overwhelmingly favored snow leopards. This disparity in attention and resources amplifies the challenges faced by wolves, highlighting the need for a balanced approach to conserve both species effectively,” a new op-ed argues.
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Wolf news to watch in 2025
From Rocky Mountain PBS:
Mystery surrounds gunshot death of Colorado wolf; agencies refusing to answer questions
From The Coloradoan:
Mystery continues to shroud the circumstances of how Colorado’s reintroduced wolf 2309 died, prompting wide speculation from the public and many unanswered questions from state and federal wildlife agencies.
Speculation of wolf 2309’s death swirls as Colorado’s imminent next round of reintroduced wolves continues under a cloak of secrecy with Colorado Parks and Wildlife stating threats of safety to its staff and wolves are a concern at a legislative hearing Wednesday.
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Wolf protection reduced in Europe. Is biodiversity at stake?
From EuroNews.com:
The wolf is no longer a “strictly protected species” in Europe.
In December, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention voted to downgrade its status, accepting a controversial EU proposal. A proposal in fact supported by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, after a wolf killed her pony in 2022.
The wolf remains a “protected species”, but Member States will now have more flexibility to cull it. Farmers have long been calling for less stringent rules on culling. For the environmental associations, however, this is a blow to biodiversity, with no scientific basis.
Click here for the full story.
Iron Range hunter charged with killing wolf
From DuluthNewsTribune.com:
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Combating wolf depredation: Idaho’s funding initiatives
From AgProud.com:
Idaho has implemented various initiatives to control the wolf population and mitigate livestock losses. With funding from both state programs and private organizations, ranchers now have new tools to combat wolf-related depredation.
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Colorado’s GOP members of Congress call for end to wolf reintroduction, removal from endangered species list
From CBSNews.com:
All four Republican members of Colorado’s Congressional Delegation are calling for an end to wolf reintroduction in the state and delisting the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act.
In a joint statement, Reps. Lauren Boebert, Jeff Crank, Gabe Evans, and Jeff Hurd said they’re “demanding answers” from the U.S. Department of the Interior on the controversial program.
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Colorado’s historic wolf reintroduction faces barrage of challenges a year after first paws hit the ground
From Phys.org:
Depending on who’s talking, Colorado’s wolves are an existential threat to ranching, an imperiled native species crucial to a healthy ecosystem, a ruthless predator that kills for sport or a beautiful species that enriches lives.
Despite a full year passing since the first reintroduced canines put paws on the ground, tensions over the apex predator remain high.
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How lynx and wolf reintroductions to Britain could be shaped by preconceptions and psychology
From TheConversation.com:
Four lynx were recently and illegally released into the Scottish highlands. The news prompted searchers to comb the Cairngorms region, the UK’s biggest national park. People were warned not to approach the animals if they encountered them.
The astonishing recovery of lynx, wolf and bear populations across Europe over the last three decades is forcing us to confront our innate responses to animals like these once more. Now, with the idea of large carnivore reintroductions to Britain gathering pace, we are having to consider our potential relationship with them here.
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Wolves From Canada Arrive In Colorado, Nobody’s Saying Where They’ll Be Released
From Cowboy State Daily:
Wolves from British Columbia, Canada, were flown into Colorado, but officials aren’t saying where they’ll be released, stirring up renewed criticism that the state’s wolf reintroduction program is too secretive.
“People are more upset about them being so secretive about it than they are about the wolves being here,” Garfield County, Colorado, commissioner Perry Will told Cowboy State Daily on Monday.
“Some are even disgusted,” he added.
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