The nature organisation Welcome Wolf/Landschap vzw is threatening to file a lawsuit against the Flemish Government as it claims that the authorities in or region do too little to protect the wolves that live in the wild here. On Sunday morning a wolf was killed on the N74 road in the Limburg municipality of Hechtel. An investigation will now examine whether it is one of the cubs from the pack of wolves that currently lives in Limburg Province.
Welcome Wolf/Landschap vzw threatens to file a lawsuit against the Flemish government
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A wolf died on Sunday morning in a suspected collision on the main road that links the north and south of Limburg Province in Hechtel-Eksel. It is presumed to be one of the cubs from the Limburg wolf pack. The dead animal's carcass was cleared by the Institute for Nature and Forest Research (INBO).
An autopsy and DNA analysis will be used to determine how old the wolf was. Jan Loos of Welcome Wolf told VRT News that the animal “May be a cub from the Hechtel-Eksel pack. The cubs are now 7 to 8 months old and have the least experience crossing roads, so there is a good chance that it is indeed a cub."
It is not the first time that a wolf has been killed on Limburg’s north-south highway. Mr Loos has difficulty hiding his frustration and wants the government to intervene: "It is a known bottleneck. It is not just about that bottleneck here, other places have also been mapped. The crossing places for wolves are known to the authorities."
Mr Loos goes on to say there are cheap and simple solutions to prevent wolves from being run over, such as eco-grids on the side of the road that prevent the wolves from crossing. These can divert the animals to roads where there is less traffic and bridges where they can cross the road more safely. However, "No action has been taken to do this yet”.
Mr Loos is looking to the Highways and Traffic Agency and the Flemish Transport Minister Lydia Peeters (liberal) to take action. However, as yet nothing has been forthcoming.
He is now threatening legal action "If the Flemish authorities do not take measures quickly, there will be a lawsuit”
"The government has a duty to protect wolves"
Mr Loos went on to say that "The wolf is a European protected species. The general public, but also governments, have a duty to protect them. If the government in particular fails by not providing the necessary measures to ensure that the wolves stay alive we will have no other option than to go to court."
Mr Loos claims that the office of the Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (nationalist) has taken measures to protect the wolves but that Ms Peeters has done nothing and as such she is neglecting her duty of care towards a protected species. He describes this as a “test case” for protected species in Europe.
The first road traffic casualty among Limburg’s wolf population was in March 2018 at Opoeteren.