A wolf classified by Danish authorities as a problem wolf has been shot near Nørre Nebel in West Jutland. Animal park owner Conny Engholm says she will sleep in her own bed again for the first time in three weeks.
DR reports that Engholm, owner and keeper at Dyrehaven Engholm near Nørre Nebel, has spent the past three weeks sleeping in a shelter among her animals. She keeps goats, sheep, rabbits and alpacas at the small animal park.
According to DR, the wolf visited her enclosure about three weeks ago, and she managed to chase it away. Since that day she has stayed outside at night to guard the animals. With the wolf now killed, she says she no longer fears for their lives.
Authorities state that the animal shot was, with predominant probability, the problem wolf. Based on photographs published in the media, Engholm assesses that it is the same wolf that came to her park. As a business owner she is relieved to sleep safely again, though she also calls it sad, describing the wolf as a magnificent animal.
Engholm told DR that she would protect her animals at any cost, and that the wolf had approached so many times that there was no other option. In her view, the animal should have been shot much earlier, and the lesson is that authorities must intervene sooner.
Shot near Houstrup after days of searching
Politiken reports that a Naturstyrelsen employee fired the fatal shot shortly before 10 p.m. on Thursday, August 13, near Houstrup north of Oksbøl. The shot was taken from a distance of about 10 meters, after several days of hunting with rifles and thermal drones.
The Styrelsen for Grøn Arealomlægning og Vandmiljø, SGAV, confirms in a notice that the wolf was killed inside a regulatory zone for wolves. The agency states that the purpose of the zones at Oksbøl and Nørre Nebel has been fulfilled, and that they are now being lifted. The specific shooting permits inside those zones are cancelled as a result.
Avisen Danmark notes that the Nørre Nebel zone was one of two active wolf regulatory zones in Denmark. The outlet explains that problem wolves in Danish practice are animals that lack shyness toward humans and appear in built-up areas. Broader questions about wolf attacks on livestock have been under debate for years.
Per SGAV, the zone was established after three documented episodes on August 5, 2026, in Nørre Nebel. A wolf was seen close to people, including children, and did not allow itself to be scared away. The Ministry for Nature and Animal Welfare states that the animal had lost its fear of humans, and that such wolves must be shot.
