Tyrol reaches through: shooting up two wolves approved!

Tyrol reaches through: shooting up two wolves approved!

Imst, Österreich - The Tyrolean state government has decided to release two wolves in the Vorderes Ötztal/Kühtai and East Tyrol regions for shooting. According to the determination, this is done that a total of 15 sheep have been torn in both areas since the end of May. The suspicion of a wolf as a cause was confirmed by the official veterinarian after assessments. As the Kleine Zeitung , the corresponding regulations were already published on Wednesday, valid until the beginning/mid-August.

In the past few weeks, a total of eight dead sheep were found in Stams and Silz, both places in the Imst district, between the end of May and mid -June. In addition, there were seven other dead sheep in Amlach, East Tyrol, last Sunday and Monday. In view of these incidents, the Tyrolean state government announced a tightening of the hunting law in order to be able to react to the problems with the so -called "risk oils".

New regulations for risk oils

An essential part of the new regulations is the planned amendment to the Tyrolean Hunting Act, which is to come into force until Almsommer 2026. Governor Anton Mattle (ÖVP) explained at a press conference in Innsbruck that risk oils that are observed can be killed without prior cracks. This represents a considerable change in wolf policy and is considered necessary by the Tyrolean government to protect the alpine pasture. Critics, including deputy governor Josef Geisler (ÖVP), warn that the implementation of the plans must be discussed publicly and transparently designed.

The applicable EU guidelines allow Tyrol to use the wolf's protection status: on May 8, 2025, this was downgraded by the European Parliament from "strictly protected" to "protected". According to the tiroler state government , this adaptation corresponds to the new circumstances and is intended to ensure that the wolf management Tirols is further developed in order to enable regular gunning effect.

herd protection and economic aspects

An important point in the discussion about the wolf is also the herd protection, which costs around 20 million euros annually in Tyrol. Governor Mattle points out that nationwide herd protection is hardly feasible for agriculture. Therefore, a national, cross -border wolf management is required, which includes a regular hunting and annual launch rates. The pressure on the wolf population is also necessary due to the increasing number of cracks and the increasing shyness of the wolves from people.

In 2023, over 20 sheep were officially killed in Tyrol by wolf attacks, ten other animals suffered injuries. The decline in the total number of cracks and missing animals in Tyrol from 791 in 2022 to 323 in 2023 gives the responsible law and shows that the new hunting laws already bear fruit. A possible adjustment of the Flora-Fauna-Habitat guideline (FFH guideline) is also required to ensure the state of preservation of the wolf population across bodies.