These are not good times for the wolf. At least as far as community legislation is concerned. The EU has taken a new step to remove some of the legal protection for this large canid, one of the most iconic (and also controversial) species of the old continent, thanks precisely to the protection of governments. Its population on European territory exceeds 20,300 specimens. Besides the social, economic and political reasons behind the decision to relax protection for the wolf, there is also a story that bears their name: the recently revived story of European Commission (EC) president Ursula von der Leyen and her pony Dolly, devoured by a wolf in 2022 animal.

Today, Von der Leyen is one of the loudest voices advocating the need to reduce wolf protection. And of course her story is inevitably accompanied by the story of how a gray wolf killed her pet Dolly with its teeth.

What happened? Brussels has taken a crucial step so that wolves will now lose some of the protection the law gives them. While this is not a step that will have practical consequences anytime soon, it is relevant. And, most of all, it is moving towards a horizon where wolves will see their protection diminished internationally.

What the EU has achieved is that the committee responsible for overseeing the Berne Convention on European species accepted its proposal to change the category of canids from “strictly protected” to “only to be taken into account”. a “protected” species.

What can we expect now? The first thing is for the Berne Convention Committee to publish its decision, something that will happen this Friday. Then you will need to be patient. If all goes as planned and there are no surprises, the change to the wolf’s conservation status will take effect within a few months. In fact, March 7, 2025 is already mentioned in Brussels. There is a possibility that this may not be the case. If at least one-third (17) of the organization’s members oppose it, the regulatory change will fall; but it would be strange if this happens in the current scenario.

Changes to the Berne Convention may seem distant, but they represent a fundamental step in how the EU can make management of species more flexible. The European Council made this clear in September when it announced plans to ask the international organization for a change in the wolf’s conservation status. “Once the amendment to the annexes of the Berne Convention comes into force, the EU may amend the relevant annexes of the Habitats Directive to adapt the level of protection of the wolf to its domestic regulations.” he claimed.

A very valuable word. The review proposed by the EU months ago and now being considered by the European Council’s Bern Convention Committee may seem trivial. After all, it changes one word: it changes the wolf’s conservation status from “strictly protected fauna species” to “protected fauna species.” But this retouching involves much more. Go Canis lupus Annexes II to III with relevant effects.

As RTVE reminds, in the first category all forms of capture and intentional killing, destruction or degradation of habitats are prohibited; In the second (Appendix III), the door is opened to some of these practices as long as the existence of populations of the species is “free from danger”. The legal framework protecting the wolf is in any case more complex, and in fact there are environmental organizations that believe that their specific legislation will prevent Spain from being affected.

The debate extends to Spain. The debate around the wolf is by no means foreign to Spain, where political movements have reached Congress to stop the wolf from being an untouchable species. In the background is the debate between those who argue that species protection should be made more flexible and those who think there are no valid scientific arguments to justify this.

Crossing of arguments. The first is the European Council, which argued in September that the amendment to the Berne Convention would “provide greater flexibility to address the socioeconomic challenges arising from the continued expansion” of wolves in Europe. To support his view, he noted that in just 10 years the population on the continent has almost doubled, from an estimated 11,200 people in 2012 to 20,300 in 2023.

“This sustained growth has created socioeconomic problems, especially in terms of coexistence with human activities and damage to livestock,” the council said in September, before reviewing another key figure from member states, the existence of “at least” 65,000 head of livestock. They claim that wolves are killed every year in the EU.

Politics or science? At the opposite pole are environmentalists who talk about political decisions that ignore experts. “By voting to weaken protection for wolves, EU countries have ignored calls from more than 300 non-governmental organisations, the Large Carnivores for Europe initiative and hundreds of thousands of citizens for science-based action to promote coexistence,” WWF claims. and I warn: despite the increase in numbers, “wolf populations have barely recovered. Weakening their protection could jeopardize this fragile recovery.”

And a name among the discussions. As president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen is a strong voice on all issues affecting Europe. But he appears to have been particularly involved in the debate on wolf conservation. Just yesterday, following the vote, he celebrated the change in the wolf’s status as “important news” for rural communities and farmers. “We need a balanced approach between protecting wildlife and protecting our livelihoods,” the leader reflected.

The truth is that for the last few years Von der Leyen has been prominent in the debate around the wolf. It commissioned an “in-depth analysis” of the species’ population growth in Europe in 2022, and last year warned that the “concentration of herds in certain areas” poses “a real danger to livestock and, potentially, animals.” People.” The proponent of the anti-wolf proposal is the European People’s Party (EPP), the political family to which it belongs.

First person experience. When it comes to wolves, livestock and the coexistence of populations, Von der Leyen is not just interested in reports. He had a first-hand experience. A particularly traumatic situation that is often mentioned when talking about the German position in the debate. From both the international media and the environmental field. WWF itself, in one of its latest statements, suggested that the EU’s stance was due to “decisions apparently influenced by personal reasons”. And in case there was any doubt, they clearly quote Von der Leyen.

A pony named Dolly. There’s a pony at the center of it all. Someone called Dolly. The animal, a 30-year-old brown female, was attacked by a wolf in the early hours of September 1, 2022, while she was in a pasture in Lower Saxony. Shortly after, his body appeared in the grass. The incident would not have made the pages of local newspapers if it were not for the fact that Dolly was no ordinary pony. More precisely, its owner was not just any woman. The animal belonged to one of the most powerful people in European politics: Ursula von der Leyen.

The wolf that killed Dolly had previously attacked other animals, causing authorities to add it to the list of animals that could be killed due to its impact and risk. A month after the incident, Von der Leyen commissioned an “in-depth analysis” of the species, and just a year later the EU was already reassessing the status of wolves. Coincidence or not, the German could not prevent Dolly’s death and political chronicles of the preservation of the breed from being often related.

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