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Netherlands at a glance

In 2012, G. Lelieveld wrote a paper on the “Possibilities of settlement of wolves from European populations in the Netherlands.” In that paper, he wrote: “Although the Netherlands is a dense populated country with high road density, wolves will still be able to find areas with low human disturbance and prey, mostly in the northeast of the Netherlands. There is room for at least 14 wolf packs. Although the French wolf population is less isolated, wolves from France and Germany will most likely migrate to the Netherlands via north and south of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.”

In a paper published in 2016, “The first proof of the recent presence of Wolves in the Netherlands,” authors wrote:

“In light of the expansion of wolves from the Polish border to the northwest of Germany and the sightings in Denmark, the appearance of the wolf in the Netherlands was no surprise to most experts. In March 2015, this expectation was fulfilled when, after generations without resident wolves, a single wolf wandered through the Dutch provinces of Drenthe and Groningen in broad daylight. From 7 to 10 March 2015, the Netherlands witnessed the comeback of an iconic species.”

Since 2019, the country has once again become home to its first pack of wolves with young pups after 150 years. Genetic sampling revealed the Netherlands wolves came from an Alpine population and Central European populations (i.e. Germany). According to the report in 2021 by Jansman and colleagues, “The return of the wolves to a densely populated area with a high density of livestock creates a wholly new situation that does not occur anywhere else in the world. Existing knowledge from other countries cannot necessarily be applied to the situation in the Netherlands.”

Netherlands has a population density of approximately 520 people per square kilometer. While 9% of the country is protected under Nature2000 European Union program, the quality of protected areas is considered to be poor. Wild ungulates, usually the main prey for the wolf, are only tolerated in small areas of the country and most parts do not tolerate their presence. Every year, 40-85% of wild ungulates are culled. To add to the complexities of this cultural and ecological landscape, the Netherlands has the highest livestock density in the world with approximately 1.7 animals slaughtered every day. Only 1.4% of the livestock that was attacked by wolves, mainly sheep, had some kind of wolf depredation prevention measure.

Their diet is likely composed mainly of roe deer, and supplemented by other wild ungulates such as wild boar, and red or fallow deer, depending on their availability in their territory.

As of 2022, there were a total of four packs with 16 pups, four pairs, and one individual wolf ranging in the Netherlands. There are now more than seven packs.

Additional Information

Attitudes and Issues

Research

Species Information

Species

Common Names: gray wolf, wolf (Dutch), wolven (plural)

Latin Name: Canis lupus

Subspecies

Common Name: wolf

Latin Name: Canis lupus lupus

Current Wolf Population, Trend, Status

Number of wolves (2022): >33

Population trend: Increasing

Legal protection: Protected but can be culled if it is classed a “problem animal”

This page was last updated in 2023.

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