The EU wants to limit protections for wolves as farmers fear for their livestock

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission says it’s weighing whether to adjust rules on protecting wolves as a resurgence in the canine numbers has triggered growing tensions with farmers concerned about their livestock. Monday’s announcement came almost exactly a year to the day after a wolf killed a pony belonging to the president of the European Union’s executive branch, Ursula von der Leyen, at her family farm in northern Germany. She says “the concentration of wolf packs in some European regions has become a real danger for livestock and potentially also for humans.” Up to 19,000 wolves are thought to be present in the 27 EU member countries. Their numbers are estimated to have grown by 25% over the last decade.