Wolves in Jutland are causing concern in central and western Denmark, prompting warnings to residents.
According to the DR website, the Green Land and Aquatic Environment Management Authority has warned parents against leaving children under the age of ten alone in areas where wolves roam.
Warning regarding young children
The Green Land and Aquatic Environment Management Authority issued this warning last night during a public meeting in the city of Oxbül, demanding that children under the age of ten not be left to wander alone in areas where wolves appear.
Defining the warning range
The authority confirmed that this warning only covers three specific areas: Vejers Strand, BlÅvand, and OksbØl, and does not apply to the rest of the reserves where wolves are found in central and western Jutland.
Strauss Houses Concerns
Jeppe Rindom expressed his surprise at this restriction, as he lives with his wife and three children under the age of ten near a wolf sanctuary at STRÅSØ PLANTAGE, south of Holsterbro.
A personal experience with a wolf
Jeppe Rindom explained that his nine-year-old son, Tialf, encountered a lone wolf while riding his bicycle home from a forest. Rindom said his son “spurred the bicycle and his face turned pale with fear as he hurried home, meeting the wolf head-on.”.
Parents' concern about children wandering around
Jeppe Rindom reported that he often encounters wolves while hunting but isn't afraid of them. However, as a father, he feels uneasy when his children play near the edges of the forest or in nearby meadows. He added, "I don't want my children to live in fear. We didn't move to the countryside for that reason; I sought open spaces and the opportunities I had as a child.".
Environmental expert's opinion
Peter Sunde, a professor at the Institute of Ecoscience at Aarhus University, believes that the perceived threat of wolves to children in the reserves of Central and West Jutland is not a cause for concern for parents. He emphasized that the situation in Uxbühl was exceptional, stemming from an incident where a wolf followed people, mistakenly believing it had received food or a reward from them. He stated, "There is no evidence of any change in wolf behavior in other areas, so the forest can be used as usual.".
Reactions from Brussels
Asger Christensen, a member of the European Parliament from the Radical Party (FN), expressed his shock at the need to issue a warning against venturing into forests due to the threat of wolves. He stated that this situation is “extremely worrying” and that Europe typically issues warnings about dangers such as unsafe lake ice, not about exploring nature. He criticized the EU policy of downgrading wolf protection from “strictly protected” to “protected” and called for a further reduction in protection until shooting wolves near settlements becomes legal.
A balanced stance in the European Parliament
In addition, Niels Fuglsang, a Social Democratic Member of the European Parliament, emphasized that reducing wolf protection to its current level provides Danish authorities with sufficient leeway to manage local wolf populations. He added that the crucial point now is to closely monitor the situation and take swift action if existing initiatives prove insufficient, because “citizens should not have to live in fear of wolves; that is absolutely unacceptable.”.
With the arrival of summer, the number of wolves in Denmark is estimated at around fifty, while Asger Christensen believes the number should not exceed ten.
