Environment Minister Ján Budaj (OLaNO) stated during the Government session on Wednesday that his ministry is preparing draft legislation that will add the wolf to the list of protected species, which would make subsequent wolf hunting a crime.
Budaj's announcement was in reaction to the Agriculture Ministry's recently approved quota, which allows hunters to shoot 50 wolves from 1 November until 15 January, if the limit isn't met before then. The Agriculture Ministry argued that the population of the species is growing and that it poses a danger to farm animals.
As the Environment Ministry's draft legislation would grant the wolf the highest level of protection, only the ministry would be allowed to grant exceptions to kill individual wolves. Budaj at the same time noted that his ministry will propose setting the fine for killing a member of the species at €3,000. He also claimed that the procedure for compensation to be paid for damage caused by the animals will be simplified.
