Six sheep killed

Wolf is once again on the shooting list in East Tyrol

A new shooting regulation for a wolf in East Tyrol comes into force on Tuesday.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Daniel Scharinger, EXPA/Johann Groder)

Following sheep kills, the Tyrolean provincial government has once again issued a decree authorizing the shooting of a wolf in East Tyrol. Six dead and one injured sheep were found in the area of the Thurner Alm in Thurn in the north of the Lienz valley floor, and another had to be slaughtered. 

Following an assessment by an official veterinarian, there was suspicion that a wolf was involved, the province explained the decision to issue the order on Monday.

Hunters already informed
This has already been announced and comes into force at midnight. The shooting order applies for a period of eight weeks within a radius of ten kilometers from the location of the incident. The responsible hunters have already been informed, it was reported. All livestock owners were also advised to protect sheep and goats on their home pastures with a "wolf-repellent fence" or to bring them into a secure barn at night.

Predator killed immediately
A shooting order was recently issued for a wolf in the Villgratental valley in East Tyrol. A few hours later, the predator was finally shot by hunters. In this case, 15 dead and seven injured sheep had been recorded in a stable-like shelter. To date, a total of five wolves have been killed in Tyrol in accordance with shooting regulations.

Legal and political debates
In the previous year, an amendment to the law was passed in the Tyrolean state parliament that allows wolves to be killed by decree and no longer by decision. Previous decisions had been overturned by the court several times after environmental protection organizations had successfully challenged them. The killing ordinance now applies to a wolf - and not to an individual. These and similar regulations in the federal states are a constant source of legal and political debate. The EU Commission has recently given signals that the protection status of the wolf is to be lowered. A measure that is also constantly being called for by the government in Tyrol, among others.