Wolf firing in Carinthia: Animal rights activists expose possible profit dangers

Wolf firing in Carinthia: Animal rights activists expose possible profit dangers

In Carinthia, the 16th shooting of a so -called risk wolf ensures increasing excitement and outrage among animal rights activists. The discussion is not only about protecting the wolf population, but also about possible economic interests behind these kills. This raises questions about the measures of local politics and the actual handling of wolf protection in Austria.

Christian Pichler from the WWF expressed in a statement that in 2024 half of the proven wolves were killed in Carinthia. This means that Carinthia not only has the highest launch rate in Austria, but also at EU level. If you compare the situation in Germany, where only 17 wolves have been released for shooting since the return of the wolf 25 years ago, the discrepancy becomes clear. While 185 wolf families live there, there is only one wolf family in Carinthia, which is still enormous losses.

illegal shooting policy

Pichler further emphasizes that Carinthia is pursuing an “illegal shooting policy” in his approach. The European Court of Justice recently decided that kills in strictly protected species such as the wolf may only be considered as the last remedy. In Austria, the wolf must also be led to a favorable state of conservation, which is obviously ignored in Carinthia. Experts criticize that local politics ignores common international procedures and less invasive alternatives, such as effective herd protection. The EU funding provided to support these measures would not be used adequately, as Pichler states.

speculation about economic interests

Another aspect that worries animal rights activists is the speculation about economic motivations behind the kins. An employee of Martin Balluch, the head of the association against animal factories (VGT), suspected that the name of the trophy hunter who killed the wolf will be kept secret in order to keep the amount of the amount that may be paid. "As soon as a wolf appears, a shooting regulation is quickly issued. Apparently it is not about effective protection of the animals, but about business interests," said the employee. These kills could be extremely popular as individual trophies in hunters, since the animals killed are not uncommon after shooting.

The situation in Carinthia is raising numerous questions, both with regard to ecological responsibility and with regard to possible economic interdependencies and their influence on dealing with protected species. The animal rights activists not only call for more transparency in this discussion, but also a fundamental revision of the shooting guidelines to ensure the protection of these animals. The topic remains controversial and will surely have further discussions, especially in a country that strives to protect its environment and at the same time maintain economic interests.