Joanna Swabe

The One Health approach, which recognises the fundamental interconnectedness of human wellbeing with that of other animals and the environment, is a keystone of the European Union’s health policy.1 While the prevention of zoonotic diseases, including pandemics, is a core objective of this policy, the European Commission paradoxically seems reluctant to take decisive action to address one of the highest risk sources within its borders precisely at the moment when it finally can do so.

While no-one would categorically deny that wolves periodically kill farm animals, nor dispute the point that this causes both emotional distress and financial losses for farmers, the political attention that these large carnivores receive is disproportionate to the damage they cause. For example, if one considers that there are around 60 million sheep in the EU, only 0.065 percent of this population actually fall victim to depredation by wolves.