The Ministry of the Environment supports the fact that the wolf hunting permit has strict conditions and is not unlimited – Home – News

The Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) of the Slovak Republic supports the fact that the wolf hunting permit has strict conditions and is not unlimited. This follows from the opinion of the state secretary of the department, Filip Kuffa, which he published on the social network.

“The decree determines the locations where the wolf can be hunted. Also, territories of European importance and de facto national parks are exempted from the quota area hunting of wolves. Similar rules for wolf hunting also applied in Slovakia in the past. In addition, the territory where wolf hunting is currently prohibited is more than before 2021,” Kuffa said.

He pointed out that several expert studies confirm the rising trend of the wolf population in Slovakia. Likewise, in Slovakia and in the EU, wolves cause significant damage to farm animals. “This is also why European institutions and many EU member states want to remove the wolf from the list of strictly protected species and thus enable meaningful management of its European populations. The environmental department also wants to proceed with the meaningful management of the bear,” he added.

The conservation organizations Aevis, My sme les, WWF Slovakia and Greenpeace Slovakia are asking the Environment Department to cancel the decree that allows wolf hunting and to maintain their year-round protection. They also demand that decision-making on the protection of wolves be based on professional and scientific arguments. They insist on the consistent fulfillment of domestic and international obligations in the field of nature protection.

A new decree came into force on January 1, which will allow wolf hunting on the territory of Slovakia. In the 2025 season, hunting is allowed until January 15, while the quota for this season was set at 74 individuals. Quotas are set by the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the environmental department, no one is calling for widespread hunting, and the new decree is supposed to introduce rational management of the wolf population in Slovakia.