Shooting ‘deviant’ wolves with paintball guns is legal, Dutch court rules | Wildlife

Dutch authorities can shoot “deviant” wolves that could pose a danger to the public with paintball guns, a court has ruled, as debate rages in Europe over protecting the animals.

After a lengthy legal battle, the court in Utrecht, central Netherlands, decided on Wednesday that the behaviour of some of the wolves in a national park was “a serious threat to public safety”.

One female wolf was known to approach cyclists and walkers and show no fear when photographers moved close to her, the court said.

“The fact that the wolf seems to be less and less afraid of people does not mean…