After wolf sighting

Animal rights activist: “This wolf hysteria must stop”

The Bludenz wolf is to be shot - hopefully the hunters will then get the right one.

(Bild: Hannes Wallner)

A video showing a wolf running through Bludenz (Vorarlberg) at night resulted in a shooting order on Wednesday. Resistance is now forming against this.

The Bludenz wolf currently shows how differently one and the same issue can be viewed. Some see the animal, which roamed through the Alpine town at night and was unfortunately (for him) filmed, as a dangerous wild animal that shows no fear of humans. The others see the same wolf as a fearful creature that has strayed into the settlement area, is desperately looking for a way into the nearest forest and is completely harmless. Of course, the discussion is made even more explosive by the fact that the former view is supported by the state government, which issued a shooting order the very day after the sighting.

So now the wolf is fair game - and this is exactly what Martin Balluch, chairman of the Association Against Animal Factories (VGT), finds reprehensible: "With this decision, the Vorarlberg state government is seamlessly joining the ranks of those state governments that continually deliberately break EU law in order to solve by force what could be solved much better with brains," he explains.

Expert was not in favor of shooting down
And he emphasizes that even the state wildlife ecologist and wolf management coordinator Hubert Schatz could not see any reason for the shooting. Schatz explained on Wednesday that it could be assumed that the animal was probably crossing the valley, i.e. passing through Bludenz. The predator had not shown any aggressive and therefore worrying behavior. For Schatz, "more decisive measures" would only have been considered if the wolf had been seen more often.

Which wolf is the right one?
On the same day, the Chamber of Agriculture had a completely different opinion. President Josef Moosbrugger not only declared Master Isegrim to be a "potential danger", but also explicitly called on the state government to allow a cull. Moosbrugger's wish was granted. For Balluch, the removal order is a sign of "wolf hysteria". It would be better to keep a cool head and make a rational decision.

It is now questionable how the "removal" could even take place, as the animal must first be identified before it can be targeted. As far as the "Krone" knows, wolves can rarely identify themselves.