Wave of wolf attacks in Spain as government set to ban wolf hunting

Wave of wolf attacks in Spain as government set to ban wolf hunting. Livestock farmers have hit out against wolf attacks that are occurring across parts of Spain, but the government is set to ban the hunting of wolves in September.

According to reports of a wave of wolf attacks has been seen on sheep, goats, cows and horses throughout the summer in areas of Spain including Galicia, Castilla y Leon, Asturias and Cantabria. Attacks also occurred in Aragon too.

According to the Ministry for Ecological Transition, they have plans to ban hunting “no later than 25 September 2021”. Agricultural organisations have called on the government to provide protection for farmers and also aid in the face of wolf attacks.

Environmental organisations believe that wolves and farmers can coexist peacefully but that more support is needed from the administration including compensate for any attacks. It is also believed that a change to sheep farming practices could help with the issue too.

As reported 20 minutes, “A few days ago, the Zamora Union of Small Farmers and Stockbreeders (UPA) denounced a new wolf attack in the municipality of Ganame, which resulted in the death of ten sheep as well as eight badly injured animals. UPA describes the current situation of overpopulation of wolves as ‘extreme’, which, they denounce, ‘is putting more and more pressure on livestock, especially calves and sheep’.”

According to the UPA: “the immediate and triggering effect of such a high census of canids is the number of attacks on extensive livestock and the ferocity of the same, causing damage to a large number of animals resulting in both death and abortions, stress, loss of milk production, which ultimately involves very serious economic losses for farmers”.

The UPA say the livestock sector is wary and that they feel “systematically ignored and mistreated by the administrations, without valuing the enormous qualities it has in continuing to produce quality and affordable food for society, also inhabiting the villages of particularly disadvantaged areas”.

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