Roughly translated by TWIN Observer
VÅLÅDALEN / TT
The wolf is on the way back to Denmark – a country that no one thought it would ever return to. After they have been missing from the Danish fauna for over 199 years, the species is now returning.
Since 2012, the four wolves have been found in Jutland. DNA from droppings show that two of them came from Germany, and two from Poland. One of the animals had walked at least 800 miles to get to Denmark.
Oddly enough, the big predators manage to live in the extreme cultural landscape – and Danish biologists believe that there may be room for a population of up to 100 wolves in the country.
“But we have it completely different from what you have in Sweden. The last wolf was in Denmark in 1813, and no one has any experience of living with large carnivores,” says Jacob Christian Bertram at Nature Agency in Denmark. He described the situation at the ongoing wolf symposium Vålådalen in Jämtland.
Taken by surprise
The Danish authorities, despite having been taken by surprise, reacted quickly. The wolf has been declared protected species, a management plan will soon be taken, and a compensation plan for wolf-destroyed pets has been introduced.
According to Bertram has wolf’s return has become a hot topic in Denmark. Many see the resurgence of enthusiasm, others with horror. But so far, the animals are accepted, even though it seems odd with wolves in the Danish agricultural landscape.
“We have no other large predators. But there is plenty of prey for wolves, red deer and roe deer,” says Bertram.
Only males
He points out that it is still highly uncertain whether the wolves will establish themselves. All four animals that wandered in have been males. No female has yet been identified. One of the four migrants moreover died.
“Nobody knows where this ends. Everything is brand new,” says Bertram.
At the symposium it was pointed out that the Danish situation is reminiscent of that in Skåne, where a number of highly migratory wolves from central Sweden has been sighted since 2011.
“It’s probably wrong to ask whether there is a place for wolves in Skåne. They come here no matter what we think,” says Bertil Nilsson at the County Administrative Board in Skåne.