The number of reported suspected wolf attacks has gone down in the first quarter of this year, according to an analysis by new sagency ANP and quoted by broadcaster NOS.
The wolf monitoring organisation of BIJ12 recorded 255 reports in the first three months of this year compared to 385 in the same period last year.
Of the 255 reports, 112 were confirmed as wolf attacks, while 140 are still under investigation. In the first three months of 2025, 270 of the 285 reported attacks were attributed to wolves, a record that is unlikely to be broken this year, experts said.
Wolf attacks on livestock have increased over the years and farmers recently called for wolves to be shot to control numbers. However, many of the attacks might have been prevented had farmers installed wolf-proof fencing, BIJ12 said earlier.
Experts said one reason for the fall in attacks may be that more farmers are embracing anti-wolf measures, such as fencing or keeping livestock in at night, although their number is not growing significantly.
Another reason may be that food for large prey like deer and boars was plentiful last year, increasing their number. “If there is more prey, they will not go for “low hanging fruit” such as livestock,” Wageningen ecologist Hugh Jansman said.
Farmers are not obliged to report suspected wolf attacks but according to BIJ12 there is no reason to think fewer of them do.
