Wild West in Poland: Last Saturday, Belgian hunters also shot two wolves in a drive hunt on deer, near the Drawa National Park in northwest Poland. Polish nature conservationists such as EuroNatur partner Wilk heavily protested.
Did hunters from Belgium deliberately shoot the wolves? Polish authorities are investigating.
© Joachim FlachsBoth killed animals belonged to a pack of three adult wolves and two to three pups. The killed male and female wolves were probably the young wolves’ parents. The death of these two wolves seriously threatens the survival of the wolf pack.
The Belgian hunters stated to have taken the animals for raccoon dogs. This does not sound plausible to Wilk: wolves and raccoon dogs considerably differ in size and appearance. The Polish authorities are now investigating the background of this incident.
Since the end of the 1990ies, EuroNatur and Wilk have become involved with the protection of Polish wolves. The positive increase of the wolves’ population is evidence of successful protection measures: 20 packs of 95 to 100 wolves live again in territories, which have been uninhabited for a long time. Yet, it is still a long way away from a stable population. Poaching, road accidents and parasites are a constant threat to the population of wolves.
Link to article of Wilk of 14th December 2011
More about EuroNatur’s projects for the protection for wolves in Europe