WOLF hunting is to be authorised in Asturias again.

The controversial decision has been made due to a sharp rise in numbers in the Picos de Europa national park.

While this has caused an increased amount of attacks on farmers’ herds, 25,000 environmentalists have signed a petition insisting it is ‘illegal’ due to the park being a protected area.

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12 COMMENTS

  1. Also, improve the shepherding methods first – many sheep farmers in Spain don´t bother with a dog or guarding their herds as the weather is good and you don´t need to round up the sheep as much as, say, in Scotland. Introducing the wolf in some areas and then killing it off in others is a financial and logistic nonsense.

  2. Sometimes interfering too much with nature’s process is not a good thing. Overprotection can rocket the numbers of certain animal species whether it be wolves or rabbits, especially if you destroy their natural habitat and their wild prey or allow only the chosen few to hunt them in private estates. A certain balance has to be kept and Mother Nature knows best how to do it just right.

  3. Cricket: Mother Nature lies raped battered and bleeding thanks to humanity. She’s in no fit state to “do it just right”. The few sticking plasters we apply need to become intensive care. The wolves were just a start, looks like they will be strangled at birth.

  4. I agree with Stefanjo. The theory of “mother nature knows best” has certain merit but, owing to the interference of man in the first place, she is a bruised and battered lady incapable of continuing without support.

  5. It seems like a pattern with wolf populations – they drop so low (sometimes becoming labeled as protected, endangered or near extinction) until they come back in force. Then they cause problems and culling starts until they are few in number.

    Rinse, repeat.

    It is very refreshing to see that all of the comments have actually been about conservation and environmental issues though, rather than PETA-style emotional arguments; “think of the wolves!”

  6. Stefanjo I hear what you are saying but there are cases of populations becoming unmanageable that is why I have said that sometimes over protection, if not done properly, can rocket to what could then become an uncontrolable horde of animals. I love animals, dont get me wrong, but there are some whose territories we have invaded, and we have no natural predator ourselves, do we? There are ways of keeping the numbers down and it doesnt always involve wringing any cub’s necks or killing the she wolf. We do it to our male and female dogs too if we dont want to breed them dont we?

    You say “Look at what we are doing to nature” and I would agree in most cases. I still think however, that sometimes interfering to increase numbers is not always a success story if not carefully managed. Carefully managed and then Nature will have a way of keeping overpopulation of any genre in check. Just my opinion mind.

  7. For God’s sake leave the wild animals alone. Stop interfering. Why must it always come down to hunting? Man is always looking for ways to be cruel to innocent animals. They are voiceless so it’s up to us to speak for them. Karma has a way of repaying cruel people.

  8. I have read on a Spanish Animal site, that a huge majority of the claims from the
    farmers are 100% untrue, as always, corruption is rife.
    I can not remember the exact details, but there is an awesome video, of wolves
    being introduced to Yellowstone Park to limit the number of deer, what happened
    is amazing, after a very short time mother nature put everything in order, I think it
    was on Upworthy (sorry if I have not got facts 100% correct)
    For me the best way to resolve all the problems of the World is get rid of the human
    race.

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