Wolf attack in Greece prompts calls for hunting rights

Hunters and farmers successful Greece are demanding the close to cull wolves aft 1 attacked a kid connected a formation this month, warning that the protected species is multiplying successful the wild.

The carnal “grabbed” the five-year-old miss by the waist arsenic she played connected a formation successful the Halkidiki peninsula, bluish Greece, her parent told Skai TV.

A bystander drove the wolf disconnected by throwing stones, but it aboriginal followed the miss and her parent to their flat yard, she said.

Greek hunters person agelong maintained that the wolf colonisation successful Greece is overmuch greater than estimated, expanding the menace to hunting dogs and livestock.

“Where I spell hunting, there are wolf sightings astir each day,” said Stelios Thomas, a 60-year-old from Thessaloniki who ventures retired some 50 kilometres (30 miles) eastbound of the city.

“I americium present acrophobic to spell to the mountain. They person eaten galore dogs and livestock lately. There are attacks astir each day,” helium told AFP.

Local officials said they were laying traps successful the area, but that if the carnal could not beryllium captured, it would beryllium killed.

 ‘Better beryllium removed’

Yorgos Iliopoulos, a biologist and wolf adept with the biology NGO Callisto, said the wolf progressive appeared to beryllium unusually accustomed to humans.

“This carnal evidently either recovered nutrient successful this area, oregon was erroneously fed by a quality arsenic a cub,” helium said.

“Its behaviour cannot beryllium reversed and it is amended to region it, preferably done capture,” helium said.

The Thessaloniki-based organisation aims to study, support and negociate the populations and habitats of ample carnivores such arsenic bears and wolves and different endangered species.

In aboriginal 2024, Callisto helped region a young wolf from the Greek constabulary academy successful Amygdaleza, adjacent Athens.

The young antheral was collared and released successful the foothills of Mount Parnitha, where wolves person returned aft a six-decade absence.

From his studies connected the Parnitha wolves, Iliopoulos said that the packs successful the country “are attracted by the dormant bodies of workplace animals oregon dogs”.

Wolf revival

According to a caller six-year study by Callisto, the wolf colonisation successful Greece is estimated astatine 2,075.

Their scope is besides spreading, Iliopoulos said.

“Wolves are present successful Attica,” the portion surrounding Athens, and successful the southern mainland “there has been a resurgence successful the Peloponnese implicit the past two oregon three years,” helium said.

“Some individuals crossed the Isthmus astatine Corinth and dispersed into the Peloponnese. Last winter, we confirmed the beingness of a breeding wolf battalion successful the Taygetos (mountain) region,” helium added.

The abandonment of agriculture successful the mountains and accrued availability of prey such arsenic wild boar and cervid person assistance the wolf colonisation rebound, helium said.

“Similar trends are seen with each ample mammals successful Greece and Europe.”

Bear scare

Sightings of bears successful inhabited areas person besides accrued successful the Greek countryside.

Last week, an 80-year-old antheral successful Zagori, northwestern Greece, was injured by a brownish carnivore that entered his plot looking for food.

Wildlife radical Arcturos estimates there are betwixt 550 and 900 bears successful Greece, an summation implicit the past two decades, but still not precocious capable to assistance hunting restrictions.

Bears began approaching inhabited areas successful Greece astir a decennary ago, but authorities person agelong neglected to acceptable up accelerated effect teams, the radical said successful a July statement.

“The Greek countryside is not what it was 20 years ago, and so it would beryllium intolerable for bears to beryllium the aforesaid too,” said Arcturos’s wide manager Alexandros Karamanlidis.

Callisto spokesperson Iason Bantios called the carnivore sightings “a manageable improvement that should not origin panic”.

“It requires capable operational organisation, due planning, and targeted enactment protocols,” helium said.

Source: AFP