Hunters have a lot of work to do in the Veluwe. Due to nutrient-rich years, the numbers of big game have exploded. In the coming months, some 11,700 wild animals will be shot. A record number. Although that ecologist Geert Groot Bruinderink does not go far enough.
About 10,000 wild boars, 4,600 red deer and 1,100 fallow deer live on the Veluwe. Far too many according to the agreements made with the Fauna Management Unit (FBE) Gelderland. To prevent accidents and agricultural damage and to protect biodiversity, target numbers have been agreed for the end of March. For next year, this concerns 1,350 boars, 1,600 red deer and 424 fallow deer.
Subjective
The result is that 8,800 wild boars alone have to be shot, reports FBE Gelderland. To the disgust of Harm Niesen of the Fauna Protection. “There are too many boars. So what? That is a subjective concept. It is ridiculous that boars are shot because a car can crash into them. You can do something about that, such as lowering the speed limit and fences along the highway.”
His voice becomes more fiery: “There is only one need: the will of hunters to shoot game. The fauna management unit is presented as a decent organization for managing nature, but the hunters are only interested in shooting wild animals, because they like it.”
