IndexWolves in DenmarkFear of wolvesFuture scenariosLine of actionConclusionThe conflict is increasing, smoldering since the first one in centuries was sighted in Western Jutland. The anger that divides the country, however peaceful, becomes greater and greater with every single snapshot of the animal published online. The wolf has crossed our borders and roams our forests. For as long as I can remember, I have been very fascinated by wolves and thought it was amazing when I started hearing news about wolves in Denmark. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay However, Denmark may not be suitable for the return of the wolf. Some people may not like the thought of having wolves in the forests. People even go so far as to shoot animals illegally. With this report I will investigate whether there are enough natural habitats and food for them, and whether there is room for the wolf in the minds of the Danish people. Wolves in Denmark In 1813 the last wild wolf in Denmark was killed. For the first time in 2012, almost 200 years later, wolves were spotted in the country again. In 2017, the first pack was formed by a female wolf traveling from Germany to north-west Jutland. Wolves have been recorded making journeys of thousands of kilometers across Europe and the wolf population in Germany is currently growing by 25-30% every year, so it is not unusual for youngsters to leave the pack and travel far on their own. There are now around 80 wolves roaming Jutland and 10 in northwestern Funen. A usual pack in Germany consists of around 8 members spread over three generations. In Denmark it will most likely be the same as Danish wolves come from Germany. A wolf pack usually has a primary area of ​​between 11 and 23 square kilometers, while the rest of the territory is between 100 and 300 square kilometers depending on the amount of prey in the area. Wolves prefer to have their dens in areas such as forests or moors where there are no humans, but they are able to live in most places. Furthermore, their hunting area can be anywhere as long as there is food, this means that wolves could also hunt near humans. In Denmark, wolves' main food would be red deer and roe deer, as they prefer ungulates. Wolves would also have a positive effect on Danish biodiversity, as they would prey on young, sick and old animals, which keeps the population weak and strong because only the strongest and healthiest survive. Biodiversity would also increase as wolves would prevent herbivores from overgrazing vegetation such as young trees and sprouts. This is exactly what was seen when wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in 1995. Pressure from wolves forced elk to seek areas where they were safe from predators, such as higher ground or forests. The vegetation near the rivers has now been given time and peace to regenerate and shade has returned to the banks along with many species such as beavers, frogs and insects that live in the clear, cool water. However, due to the amount of prey in Denmark, Jutland may be the only place where wolves can roam. Emil Bøgh Hansen from the University of Southern Denmark conducted research into the possibilities of wolf settlement on the Danish island of Funen, right next to Jutland. Research has shown that wolves can live in Funen, but only in just two packs, as there are not enough deer to feed them. Furthermore, food for wolves will be sufficient only if hunting does not cause a decrease in the number of prey. Fromwhen wolves returned to Denmark, the government tried to resolve anticipated conflicts as wolves took livestock by giving subsidies to farmers to build “wolf-proof fences” and compensating for damage caused by wolves. Fear of wolves The wolf is protected by the EU which makes it illegal to capture, kill or trade them even in Denmark. Breaking the rules can result in up to 2 years in prison. It is legal to shoot a wolf only in self-defense or if the wolf poses an obstacle to humans or livestock. Furthermore the rules say that every other possibility must be tried, a wolf can only be killed as a last resort. However, the killing of a wolf through an open car window in May 2018 nevertheless demonstrates that there are still people who ignore these regulations. The shooting was caught on camera and the owner of the car who fired the shot was charged with “violation of hunting legislation”. It's only legal to shoot a wolf in self-defense, but it doesn't seem like such a defense when the shooter is half a hundred yards away in the car. Morten Lindhard, a nature guide in northwestern Zealand, told me this: “Whether there is enough space for the wolf also depends on people's mentality. It's about wanting it here." It is clear that the hunter who shot did not want the wolf here. I asked Morten Lindhard why he thought some people were so against wolves, to which he replied: “Some people fear them (wolves), and this fear is difficult to remove.” A report carried out by a team from “Syddansk Universitet” (University of Southern Denmark) in collaboration with the Danish Hunting Federation shows that hunters generally have a negative attitude towards wolves. 68% of those interviewed do not believe that there is enough space for the wolf in Danish nature. 60% do not want the wolf in Danish nature at all and 25% are afraid of its return. Many hunters fear the wolf because they hunt with loose dogs or because they fear that the wolf will become a competitor in their hunt. Hunter Bob Robb, who has lived in Alaska for 15 years, published an article on the Pertersen's Hunting website in which he gives six reasons for killing wolves. One reason a wolf population left unchecked can easily become a problem. “All those people who say they only kill the sick and weak have never seen a pack of wolves eat a healthy, mature caribou alive like I did. They have never seen the trail of death that a pack of wolves leaves behind as it kills to teach its cubs to hunt or simply for fun. He says so in his article. Landowners in Jutland also seem to have a negative attitude towards wolves, this is the result of a report from the University of Copenhagen from 2016. The report is based on a choice experiment among 1500 landowners in Jutland. Respondents were asked to choose between hypothetical scenarios designed to reveal whether landowners would respond with illegal actions. It turns out that things like the economic impact of wolves and concern for the safety of humans and pets cause 60% of respondents to prefer illegal actions, and the majority overall show a negative attitude towards wolves. A report from the University of Southern Denmark shows that farmers fear the wolf, with no difference in their opinion on whether farmers work with animals or crops, or whether their livestock is kept indoors or outdoors. What they fear most are wolf attacks, financial losses and the loss of pets or livestock. According to the same report, wolves shouldn't.