New Denmark wolf attack: six deer killed at West Jutland farm
Six deer have been found killed in an enclosed deer farm near to a designated wolf zone in the western part of Denmark.
The zone was set up by the Ministry of the Environment in February after increased evidence of the presence of the predator across southern and eastern parts of the country.
Until 2012, no wolves are thought to have lived in Denmark since the 19th century.
READ ALSO: Wolf selfie' thrills Danish nature lovers
A consultant from the ministry has concluded that the dead deer were “in all probability” the result of a wolf attack, according to a post on the Facebook page of local newspaper Videbæk/Spjæld Avis.
“I can confirm that the deer were found in a part of West Jutland where there have been several documented attack by wolves on sheep… Regardless of whether this turns out to be wolves or dogs, the deer farm has been offered a grant towards installation of a wolf-proof fence,” Lasse Sehested Jensen of the ministry’s environmental authority (Miljøstyrelsen) told the newspaper.
The predator is likely to have got into the deer enclosure under the existing fence, reports broadcaster TV2.
Two other reported wolf attacks in the region – involving a dead calf and dead goats – have also been investigated, but were not considered to be due to wolves, reports TV2.
Although sheep have been found killed by the predator on a number of occasions, the six deer are the first livestock of any other kind to fall victim to the wolves.
“Wild deer are to a great degree natural prey for wolves, so as such it’s not surprising if it turns out that the wolves have gone after them,” Jensen told Videbæk/Spjæld Avis.
The wolf zone covers land between the towns of Grønbjerg, Tim, Holstebro and Vemb.
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The zone was set up by the Ministry of the Environment in February after increased evidence of the presence of the predator across southern and eastern parts of the country.
Until 2012, no wolves are thought to have lived in Denmark since the 19th century.
READ ALSO: Wolf selfie' thrills Danish nature lovers
A consultant from the ministry has concluded that the dead deer were “in all probability” the result of a wolf attack, according to a post on the Facebook page of local newspaper Videbæk/Spjæld Avis.
“I can confirm that the deer were found in a part of West Jutland where there have been several documented attack by wolves on sheep… Regardless of whether this turns out to be wolves or dogs, the deer farm has been offered a grant towards installation of a wolf-proof fence,” Lasse Sehested Jensen of the ministry’s environmental authority (Miljøstyrelsen) told the newspaper.
The predator is likely to have got into the deer enclosure under the existing fence, reports broadcaster TV2.
Two other reported wolf attacks in the region – involving a dead calf and dead goats – have also been investigated, but were not considered to be due to wolves, reports TV2.
Although sheep have been found killed by the predator on a number of occasions, the six deer are the first livestock of any other kind to fall victim to the wolves.
“Wild deer are to a great degree natural prey for wolves, so as such it’s not surprising if it turns out that the wolves have gone after them,” Jensen told Videbæk/Spjæld Avis.
The wolf zone covers land between the towns of Grønbjerg, Tim, Holstebro and Vemb.
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