MARK CARWARDINE OPINION

"As grey wolf numbers increase, there is a rising tide of hostility"

- MARK CARWARDINE

THE PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has taken a sudden interest in wolves and it doesn’t bode well for the future of Europe’s top predators.

Last September, one of the hapless carnivores apparently killed her favourite pony, 30-year-old Dolly, near her home in north-west Germany. And wolves have been a hot topic of conversation in the EU ever since.

Genetic testing indicated that a wolf known as GW9s50m an older male reputedly responsible for killing a dozen sheep and cows was the culprit. Von der Leyen countered by ordering officials to carry out an in-depth analysis into the wolf menace’ across the EU.

Meanwhile, a bounty was placed on GW950m’s head. The authorities in Hannover claim they had already approved it the day before Dolly was killed.