UTRECHTSE HEUVELRUG – The wolf is advancing in the Netherlands. For some this is great news, for others it is a major concern. Because while ecologists and nature lovers can’t wait for the wolf to reach our province, sheep farmers and shepherds are looking at it with sorrow. Will their sheep still be able to go outside?
Sheep farmers in our province must prepare for the arrival of the wolf
We have to learn to live with it
Opinions among the shepherds differ. Where one person thinks that there is really no place for this large carnivore, the other says that it is simply a given and so we have to learn to live with it. Marjel Neefjes falls into the latter category. Marjel and her husband have 500 sheep. Marjel: “We mainly keep it for grazing. Of course we also sell wool and meat, but our main task is to graze the Utrechtse Heuvelrug in particular. You can see us between Leersum and Den Dolder.”
Neefjes: “Besides being a shepherd, I am also an ecologist. So I can really see how beautiful the wolf is and how special the wolf is back in the Netherlands. It only disappoints me that we have never really talked well with us sheep farmers “Of course we have to protect our animals, but how will we deal with wolves who are not stopped by wolf repellent measures? Can they just keep walking around and bite the cattle to death?”
it can’t be done
In the Netherlands, we have chosen to allow natural grazing as much as possible. With large grazers or through herds of sheep, for example. Advantages of this include that it promotes biodiversity, has a more natural appearance and is more environmentally friendly. “But with the arrival of the wolf, you immediately notice how vulnerable you are,” explains Neefjes.
“We have to keep out those wolves. With fences and power wires or with large herd protection dogs, for example. That costs money. Also making night beads – fenced areas for the night and the weekend – takes time and a substantial investment. support, just like sheep farmers by fencing their pastures. Otherwise, this form of livestock farming simply can’t work.”
Attacks on sheep
There are more dangers for sheep. Dogs and foxes can also wreak havoc in a herd. Yet Marjel is not sensitive to arguments from people who say that the damage of wolves is ‘not too bad’. Neefjes: “We are dealing with a new enemy here. A new danger and a new potential cause of death for our animals. If we don’t get help with wolf repellent measures, all herds will go into stables and in 10 years there will no longer be an animal in it. the meadow.”
