WWF presents new fact check for the wolf debate

On the occasion of the ongoing public debate on how to deal with the wolf, the WWF Austria has published a new fact check for the most frequent holding, from shooting regulations to herd protection. The aim is to correct the most common misleading and false claims from politics and advocates and to support a fact -based debate. “Instead of fueling fears and intensifying the senseless shooting policy, the federal states must finally pursue scientifically covered solutions. That means: sound monitoring and herd protection that is adapted to the respective conditions in the region”says WWF expert Christian Pichler. The WWF therefore calls for a herd protection offensive, the pasture holders: Interior in the employment of shepherd: inside, supporting the purchase of herd protection dogs and electric fences. It also requires better documentation and monitoring of the wolf population in Austria.

Professional herd protection works
Herd protection is the most effective and at the same time the most sustainable solution for living together with the wolf. “There are functioning herd protection examples from comparable alpine regions such as Switzerland. There the number of torn farm animals per Wolf has decreased by 87 percent,” says Christian Pichler from the WWF. “Housing, protective dogs, mobile fences, night horses and advice offer the best protection for pasture animals. In contrast, flat -rate kills can have a counterproductive effect. Because the wolf fulfills important functions in nature. The domestic caterpillars make a natural contribution to biodiversity. Reduce too high game stocks.

Despite their importance for domestic ecosystems, kills are the most common cause of death for wolves in Austria. This year alone, eight wolves have already been killed by regulation. In 2024 there were 13 animals. For comparison: in Germany two animals were shot in 2024, although there are around 30 times more wolves with a fixed area with 209 packs and 46 couples than in Austria.

Loosened shooting policy “lacks any legal basis”
Although the wolf’s protection status was downgraded in the FFH directive in mid-July, the legal requirement remains that the condition of the species must be favorable. Austria is currently far away with nine packs. A regular hunting of the wolf is therefore still excluded, which the European Court of Justice expressly confirmed in July 2024. “The announced plans of various federal states to loosen their shooting politics are therefore without any legal basis,” says Christian Pichler from the WWF. Instead of continuing to roam European nature conservation, the WWF calls for more use for domestic ecosystems. In Austria alone, over 80 percent of the species and habitats protected by European law are not in any favorable state of maintenance. Nature destruction, resource exploitation, the climate crisis and pollution increase the pressure.

Photos and fact check for download here.