An AI-generated image showing two people feeding a wolf, posted on Facebook by Esbjerg city councillor Klaus Sandfeld of Venstre, has triggered heavy criticism from voters and politicians.
DR reports that Sandfeld shared the image on his Facebook page on August 11, 2026. The picture shows two people feeding a wolf raw meat, alongside text saying this is how the wolf can be strategically regulated.
The comment thread under the post grew heated, according to DR. Several commenters accused Sandfeld of encouraging the public to feed wolves, which they said would eventually lead to the animals being shot. Others wrote that he should be thrown out of Venstre.
Sandfeld, who sits on the city council in Esbjerg Kommune, rejects that reading. He says the post was made in sarcasm and with a large portion of provocation aimed at wolf supporters, and that the reaction is an overreaction. Per his own explanation to DR, the post was not a call to action but a way to draw attention to the issue.
He adds that he needs to keep posting content that generates feedback in order to build momentum around what he sees as a problem in Jutland. Asked whether he regrets the post, he says no. According to DR, he also stood as a candidate for the Folketing at the most recent election.
Criticism from Liberal Alliance and Venstre
Liberal Alliance MP Ole Birk Olesen criticized the post in a Facebook post of his own. As reported by DR, he assumed that Venstre would drop Sandfeld as a parliamentary candidate, and described the message as absolutely irresponsible and undemocratic.
Thomas Danielsen, vice-chair of Venstre’s parliamentary group, distanced the party from the post in written responses to Berlingske and DR. He states that people should not feed wolves or encourage others to do so, that it only makes the problems worse, and that it is not something to joke about.
Berlingske describes Sandfeld as being in massive headwind over the sarcastic post, and notes that the controversy spread widely on social media. The outlet also reports that Venstre’s parliamentary group explicitly rejected any encouragement to feed wolves.
Jyllands-Posten covered the same controversy and confirmed that the image was generated with artificial intelligence and created by Sandfeld himself. The outlet emphasizes how quickly the post circulated, as well as the wording of Sandfeld’s explanation.
Venstre’s published policy on the use of AI states that AI-generated content may be used in limited cases, and only when it clearly and credibly supports the political message. The policy also states that AI-generated disinformation is not to be used. The document is general party policy and does not address Sandfeld’s post.
Denmark has no dedicated framework for the handling of wildlife in situations of this kind. DR reports that the post from August 11 was still drawing new criticism this week, with no separate ruling or deadline behind the backlash.
