EU to rethink conservation status of wolves after numbers surge

Wolves are protected under conservation laws, but their return is leading to conflicts with farming and hunting communities. Photograph: Arterra Picture Library/Alamy

The EU is to review the conservation status of wolves on the continent after a remarkable comeback of the carnivore species raised protests from farmers whose livestock have become prey.

“The concentration of wolf packs in some European regions has become a real danger for livestock and potentially also for humans,” the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said. “I urge local and national authorities to take action where necessary. Indeed, current EU legislation already enables them to do so.”