Wolf Hunt in Slovakia

Dead wolf, photo by Andrej HoškoDuring the 20th century wolves almost disappear from Slovakia. Only small population in the Eastern Slovakia survived a heavy extirpation of wolves. In the year 1975 the wolf was declared as a partially protected species. Wolves slowly began returning to the most of mountain regions of Slovakia. In 1995 the wolf was declared by the Government of the Slovak Republic as a fully protected animal species. Killing of wolves was forbidden. But next year, in 1996, during ratification of the Bern Convention Slovakia applied an exception for the wolf and the brown bear (The gray wolf – Canis lupus is listed in Appendix II to the Bern Convention as a strictly protected fauna species.).

 

Photo: © Andrej Hoško

In Slovakia an open season for the wolf hunts has been enacted. It takes from November 1st till January 15th. According Slovak hunters and game-keepers 924 wolves lived in Slovakia in 2002. But some conservation organizations say that this number isn´t veracious, that now only 130 - 150 wolves hang around in the Slovak Country. Generally it is believed that the wolf population in Slovakia consists of about 400 wolves. In the hunt season 2009/2010 it is allowed to kill 140 wolves. But Regional Forest Bureaus ask for harvest of 275 wolves. There is also some dissonance between ordinances issued by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture. According the Hunt Ordinance issued by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic an open season for the wolf hunts takes from October 1st through January 31th. It is 1,5 month longer than the wolf hunt season permitted by the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic.

Update 2013

Finally the dissonance between ordinances issued by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture about the open season for wolf hunts has been corrected. In 2012 the Hunt Ordinance was brought into compliance with the decree issued by the Ministry of Environment. Now wolves in Slovakia can be legally hunted from November 1st till January 15th.

The number of harvested wolves in Slovakia until 2018

 

More than 3500 wolves were slaughtered during last 40 years in Slovakia.

 

 

Wolf killed in November 26th 1999 in the National Park Low Tatra

 

Wolf killed in November 26th 1999 in the National Park Low Tatra

 

Source of information: www.wolf.sk