"Back in May 2025, the European Parliament changed the status of wolves in the EU from "strictly protected" to "protected," which opened the way for its member states to allow hunting under certain conditions, such as protecting livestock. One of the arguments behind this change was that the "tolerance of modern society towards wolves" led to the emergence of "fearless wolves" that are no longer afraid of people."
"Zanette and Clinchy did their study in the Tuchola Forest, one of the largest Central European forests located in northern Poland. After the Polish wolf protection laws had come into force back in the 1990s, the first wolves were sighted there in 2005, and the first breeding was confirmed in 2013. Today, there are over 15 different wolf packs living in the Tuchola Forest, and the total number of wolves in Poland reached around 4,300 individuals in 2022."
European wolves flee human conversation faster than dogs' barking. In May 2025 the European Parliament changed wolves' status from "strictly protected" to "protected", enabling member states to allow hunting under conditions such as protecting livestock. One justification for the change was the claim that societal tolerance produced "fearless wolves" no longer afraid of people. Regulators stated there was no scientific evidence for that claim, prompting a first-of-its-kind study to test whether wolves had lost fear of humans. Researchers worked in the Tuchola Forest in northern Poland, where wolves returned after 1990s protections, with first sightings in 2005, breeding in 2013, over 15 packs present, and Poland's wolf population around 4,300 in 2022. The study concluded that wolves are not fearless and maintain avoidance of people.
Read at Ars Technica
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