“We are dealing with wolves that have become very tame,” a spokesman for the province of Gelderland in the eastern Netherlands told broadcaster Omroep Gelderland. “We have to make them fear the world again.” The provincial government in Arnhem made the decision last week after a video circulated on social media showed a wolf walking confidently in front of a visibly worried young family in the 5,400-hectare (15,800-acre) Hoge Veluwe National Park. The provincial government spokesman said balls were selected to allow park rangers to see which animals had been targeted. The goal was only to scare them and make sure they stayed at least 30 meters (100 feet) away from people, he said. According to a report in June, the Netherlands is believed to be home to at least 20 adult wolves: a pack and two pairs in the Veluwe, a pair on the border between the provinces of Drenthe and Friesland, and 11 lone animals roaming the country. At least 16 pups were born this summer, according to a September report, including 13 in the Veluwe area and three in the park itself. There have been 372 wolf sightings so far this year, and experts said the figures may underestimate the total. Animal protection group Faunabescherming accused the park administration – which has repeatedly opposed the wolves’ presence on the grounds that they prey on sheep and other animals – of deliberately feeding them. Wolves are generally shy around people, and naturalists say their behavior in the park is highly unusual. Animals are protected but can be removed or killed if they become a problem – which could happen if they get too close to people. The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “We have reason to believe that the park owner is responsible for taming the wolves,” Faunabescherming president Niko Koffeman said. “If the Hoge Veluwe has a wolf population that behaves significantly differently from others in the Netherlands and the surrounding countries, the situation is suspicious.” The park denied the allegations. Its director, Baron Seger Emmanuel van Voorst tot Voorst, was scathing about the latest plan. “They want to scare the wolves away from attacking people, so they’ll shoot them with paintballs,” he said. “It’s a bogus solution so they don’t say ‘shoot the dead’.”
