In 2022, a gray wolf in Germany's Lower Saxony region killed a pony called Dolly. It's not uncommon for wolves to kill other animals, but this one messed with the wrong pony. Dolly was the beloved pet of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Dolly's death by wolf set in motion a chain of events that culminated in a historic vote last week that modified the protection status of wolves. It's seen as a "major win" for farmers who want "more freedom to shoot animals that threaten their livestock," said Politico.
In the wake of Dolly's death, Von der Leyen campaigned for a rethink of the EU's protected status policy on wolves. Many rural communities shared her anger at not being able to take action against the estimated 21,000 wolves running in packs across Europe, killing 40,000 sheep, goats and cattle every year, said The Times of London. There have also been reports of attacks on humans.
At a meeting in Strasbourg last week, members of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats voted to change the status of wolves from "strictly protected" to "protected." This "clears the way" for the EU to "modify their own directive and make it easier" for member states to grant permission to kill wolves "deemed to pose a threat to farmers' livestock," said Politico.
Conservationists maintain that, rather than seeking to kill wolves, farmers should use "electric fences, livestock guarding dogs and a human presence," said Euronews. But Niall Curley, a senior policy adviser at the EU farmers' association Copa-Cogeca, said those measures were "just not good enough." | 
