Discussion: Illegal kills of protected wolves call for public reasoning

• Published in: Science of The Total Environment
• Main Authors: Sonne, Christian, Hansen, Hans Peter, Alstrup, Aage Kristian Olsen, Olsen, Kent, Jensen, Trine Hammer, Haugaard, Lars, Sunde, Peter
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Canis lupus; EU Habitat Directive; Environment; European governments; IUCN Red List; Policy
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/discussion-illegal-kills-of-protected-wolves-call-for-public-reasoning(7da9c075-910e-4427-a02a-1352a1467cfc).html; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.432

Illegal wolf kills happens around in Europe despite the European wolf is protected under the EU Habitats Directive. The reason for this is conflicts with farmers and local hunters and in some instances also direct fear. In April 2018, a wolf was killed in Denmark after 1st recolonization since the 18th century. This caused a heated debate and calls for better communication and management of the Danish and entire European wolf population. Here we discuss the challenges of illegal wolf kills and call for European governments to take action. We specifically encourage European governments to create facilitated spaces for public deliberation on wildlife management by integrating facts and values, not separating them.