PS: Shooting wolves may be illegal, the legislation is confusing – Home – News

Shooting wolves can be illegal, the legislation is confusing. Tamara Stohlová (PS) stated this at a press conference on Tuesday. According to her, there is already a suspicion that wolves are being hunted in protected areas.

“In order for wolf hunting to be allowed and its conditions to be specified, it was necessary to amend three regulations, the relevant decree of the Ministry of the Environment, the decree of the Ministry of Agriculture, and at the same time issue a decision on the quota for hunting,” stated Stohlová. However, according to her, these regulations were not harmonized. As she explained, the legislation must be harmonized because it specifies the territories where it is legal to hunt wolves.

Stohlová also criticizes the published map of the Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) of the Slovak Republic, which determines where wolf hunting is allowed. According to her, it is inaccurate and flawed. “We also identified in it a number of errors in the marking of territories of European importance in which it is not possible to hunt wolves,” Stohlová pointed out, adding that the department undertook to publish the map before the decree came into effect, but published it only after the wolf was caught, and that on January 3.

She reminded that the hunter who carries out the shooting may, as a result of the faulty map, face legal action, while he may be threatened with having his firearms license revoked for the offense committed. Stohlová therefore called on the state secretary of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic, Filip Kuffa, to stop encouraging hunters to engage in possible illegal activities and the Slovak Hunting Chamber to warn its members about the possible consequences.

As of January 1, a new decree came into force that will allow wolf hunting on the territory of Slovakia. In the 2025 season, hunting will be allowed until January 15, while the quota for this season has been set at 74 individuals. Quotas are set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic.