Press
The Tyrolean community of Umhausen is in turmoil. A wolf has killed several sheep. The community has now put a bounty on the pest.
Umhausen – Wolf alarm in Tyrol. The small community of Umhausen (3500 inhabitants) is worried. A wolf is currently roaming the Horlachtal valley, which has already killed several animals and apparently not for food.
Wolf in “blood frenzy” worries Tyrol community – and is now to be shot
“The animal killed six sheep, injured one sheep and four sheep are still missing. The wolf only ate one animal,” reported Mayor Jakob Wolf IPPEN.MEDIA and speaks of a kind of “bloodlust”.
On 27 June, the dead sheep were discovered in the municipality. The Tyrolean government reacted promptly. Since Friday (28 June) there has been a Shooting regulations for the pest wolf. It is valid for eight weeks and within a radius of ten kilometers. The shooting order is currently the second of its kind; the other was issued for a wolf that is said to have killed six livestock in the Thruner Alm area.
Wildlife camera shows wolf – animal apparently not just passing through
Mayor Jakob Wolf managed to capture the animal with his wildlife camera on Wednesday. It seems as if the pest wolf is not just passing through, but feels at home in the Horlachtal. And it is apparently not the only wolf: “In the municipality of Umhausen, wolves have been genetically confirmed eight times this year, originating from two different populations,” the state government reported.
Wolf bounty: Hunters receive up to 15,000 euros for each kill
The municipality of Umhausen has decided that the destructive wolf must go. To motivate hunters, a bonus was offered for killing it. “The municipality has offered to refund half of the annual hunting lease to all hunting areas if they kill the wolf,” explained Mayor Wolf, adding: “This is to make the hunters make an effort, because killing it is not an easy task.” Depending on the hunting area, the bonus can be up to 15,000 euros.
But foreign “bounty hunters” should not rejoice too soon: “Anyone who shoots the animal needs a valid Tyrolean hunting license.”
Shooting wolves will also become easier in Germany in the future
In Germany, the shooting of wolves is a controversial issue. Uwe Friedel, a wolf expert from the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), commented last year in ZDF: “The number of grazing animals killed is not determined by the number of wolves, but by the number of unprotected grazing herds.” The “removal”, as it is called in hunting jargon, of wolves is not very helpful.
Nevertheless, there are efforts to make it easier to shoot wolves in Germany – at least in certain cases. Since the EU has relaxed the classification of the animals, the Union is calling for the hunting of wolves. The animals are not threatened with extinction, so problem wolves can be “removed”. Austria has already relaxed the conditions in 2023. (moe/sp)
#Wolf #kills #sheep #community #offers #bounty #euros