The animal welfare organization Dyrenes Beskyttelse called on Tuesday for feeding wolves to be made a criminal offense in Denmark. The demand follows the shooting of a suspected problem wolf in West Jutland last week.
Avisen Danmark reports, via Ritzau, that the organization set out the demand in a press release on August 18, 2026. Michael Carlsen, a biologist at Dyrenes Beskyttelse, states that wolves begin to develop problematic behavior when they become too trusting of people.
According to the press release, that happens when wolves repeatedly learn that humans and buildings mean easy food. Per Carlsen, any form of feeding or luring poses a risk to both people and wolves, and authorities should work to stop it. Ekstra Bladet carries the same call and no further demands.
The wolf was shot by employees of Naturstyrelsen after several incidents at Nørre Nebel, where it came close to people in private gardens. On Friday morning it lay dead in Oksbøl, where Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare Christian Rabjerg Madsen (S) and Naturstyrelsen answered questions from the press.
The animal showed no particular shyness toward Naturstyrelsen staff. Authorities have said they are highly convinced it is the suspected problem wolf, but DNA samples must confirm this. Politiken reports that the animal was shot with a rifle from about 10 meters near Blåbjerg Plantage, close to summer house areas.
Regulation zones and earlier warnings
Styrelsen for Grøn Arealomlægning og Vandmiljø confirms that two wolf regulation zones were established around Oksbøl and Nørre Nebel. The agency states that the zones were lifted once the wolf was killed. Thermal drones and expanded shooting permissions had been authorized to locate the animal.
Researchers from Aarhus University wrote in a memo in May 2026 that several episodes with wolves around Oksbøl suggest people may have deliberately fed the animals. The memo stressed that it is only possible to speculate about the causes of the observed behavior. That was reported by Jyllands-Posten.
Dyrenes Beskyttelse also urges authorities to issue recommendations and to shield or close areas where wolves are found to breed. Carlsen compares this to keeping distance during the red deer rut and closing access to areas with breeding birds. He states that humans are guests in nature.
The organization’s head of policy, nature and animal welfare, Thomas Søby, criticized the fact that the dead wolf lay on the ground in front of the minister during the press briefing. He acknowledged that the wolf at Nørre Nebel indisputably had to be shot.
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Miljøstyrelsen warned in 2024 that people should avoid feeding wolves, because it can create attachment between wolves and humans. The agency stated at the time that there is no general ban on feeding wild animals in nature. The wolf question has remained on the political agenda in Denmark since.
