sheep

A wolf has wreaked havoc among a herd of sheep in Renkum over the past two nights. 21 animals came to a bloody end, despite a wolf-resistant grid.

“So that didn’t help at all,” said the excited owners of the herd Broadcasting Gelderland. Less than six months ago, they also received a deadly visit from a wolf.

Now it happened two nights in a row, says Ellen van der Zweep, who manages the herd of about three hundred sheep in the Gelderland village together with her husband Serge.

“It was already terrible on Friday with six dead animals, but another fifteen were added this morning. A passer-by saw it and came to warn us. It is really terrible how the sheep are lying. There are also animals injured, for which the vet came today. A hunter had to shoot one animal, because that was no longer possible.”

Because the dead sheep also include pregnant animals, the loss may be as high as sixty animals. Van der Zweep becomes despondent about it. “Also because just this week we installed a wolf-resistant grid in accordance with all guidelines, at the right height and with power on it. That cost us 12,000 euros and we have yet to see if we will get part of it back in the form of a subsidy. So far we have not yet received anything from the province of Gelderland.”

In theory, it is possible that the sheep were killed by an animal other than the wolf. But Van der Zweep is certain that a wolf has struck. “According to experts, the picture is completely correct,” she says. The sheep farmer suspects that the wolf simply jumped over the brand new grid.

In October, 23 sheep were also killed at the hands of a wolf. The herd was upset for months because of this, and is probably restless for months now. Van der Zweep: “That is also something to think about. The sheep that have survived take a long time to recover.”

Van der Zweep: “After more than twenty years, everyone in the area knows us and our herd. After lambing, it sometimes grows to a thousand animals, but we are now seriously considering stopping.”