A large demonstration took to the streets of Madrid this Sunday to demand immediate protection for the Iberian wolf. The march, which started from Atocha under the slogan “Live and Protected Wolf”, brought together participants from different parts of the country. It was convened by Animal Guardians, AnimaNaturalis, Dirus, Ecologistas en Acción, Grupo Lobo Asturias, Lobo Marley, Plataforma NAC and WWF, supported by 170 civil society organisations.
The organisers denounced what they consider a “severe legal setback” following the decision by the Congress of Deputies on 20th March. A parliamentary majority driven by the Popular Party removed the national protection for the wolf. According to the organisations, this measure was approved “through legislative trickery, disregarding scientific criteria and the procedure established by law”.
During the mobilisation, there was a call for the Iberian wolf to be re-included in the List of Wild Species under a Special Protection Regime (LESPRE). Compliance with the European Union Habitats Directive was also urged to facilitate the recovery of this species in territories where it has already become extinct.
“It is a key element of fragile ecosystems that needs full protection”, claimed the organisers, emphasising that defending the wolf “as the heritage of all society is our responsibility”. In this regard, an immediate end to culls was also demanded, which have been suspended by the courts in Galicia but are already active in regions like Cantabria and Asturias, despite judicial challenges from civil society.
The organisations regret that there is a renewed focus on managing the conflict through lethal control of individuals. “Instead of promoting species conservation and coexistence, there is again a focus on conflict management by killing wolves”, they noted. Additionally, they warn that “the populations of the species have not recovered, nor has real coexistence been achieved”.
Among the demands highlighted was the need for the approval of conservation plans based on scientific knowledge, allowing for “the effective prosecution of poaching and poisoning”. They also called for environmental education programmes to disseminate “serious, rigorous and accurate information about the species, its behaviour, and its importance”, aiming to counter “myths and false beliefs”.
The participants chanted slogans and carried banners in defence of what they consider an misunderstood and persecuted species. “The wolf, an animal misunderstood, persecuted without reason and turned, for some decades now, into a political instrument”, the organisations stated.
