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Animal rights activist Johanna Ecker-Schotte demonstrated with the alpine farmers: "The wolf is not allowed to settle here"

2021-10-08T14:18:52.765Z


Alpine farmers say: There is no place for wolves in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps. Johanna Ecker-Schotte (60), chairwoman of the Tegernseer Tals animal protection association, shares this opinion. She demonstrated with the farmers.


Alpine farmers say: There is no place for wolves in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps.

Johanna Ecker-Schotte (60), chairwoman of the Tegernseer Tals animal protection association, shares this opinion.

She demonstrated with the farmers.

Ms. Ecker-Schotte, as an animal rights activist, you demonstrated alongside farmers who are calling for an alliance against the wolf.

How did that happen?

I was invited by the BBV Holzkirchen after I had already supported the position of the farmers at a press conference in the Rote Valepp.

It's not my style to jump on a hysterical train, but we have very cramped living spaces here, with mountains and valleys.

Like in Austria and South Tyrol, where there are already insane problems with the wolf in alpine farming.

I like that our BBV Holzkirchen is looking at the situation so carefully.

I support that.

The wolf is allowed to go through, but it shouldn't settle here.

We need the pasture protection areas for our small-scale agriculture.

The Federation of Nature Conservation and the German Animal Welfare Association welcome the return of the wolf and promote measures for herd protection.

I am always outraged that the Bund Naturschutz in Bavaria is promoting the wolf and claiming that it is a particularly good fit here in the region.

It even says so on the homepage.

But the proposal to erect fences is far too short-sighted for our region.

When fences are drawn on the alpine pasture, they separate rocks, forest, meadows and watercourses, which is a veritable destruction of the landscape.

The fences are built quickly, but they also have to be cared for and actually walked on every day.

It is easy for an animal to get caught in it, whether it is a calf, goat, grouse, stag or roe deer.

The fences are a massive disruption and will result in peeling and browsing damage.

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Johanna Ecker-Schotte

© Thomas Plettenberg

Could the use of guard dogs be a solution?

Livestock guardian dogs need special training that requires a lot of expertise.

And what happens to the dogs after the cattle drive?

A guard dog cannot simply take a five or six month break in winter and become a house dog.

He needs work and his terrain.

I see zero chance of this working.

Also because of tourism.

There are so many hikers with dogs here that very problematic situations can easily arise.

Your position does not coincide with that of your association.

I think it's very important to look at the situation regionally.

This applies to the handling of wolves, but also to tethering, which the umbrella organization rejects.

I, on the other hand, in our region advocate combined farming, i.e. conventional stalls with access to pastures and alpine pastures.

The most important thing is that the animals are allowed out.

What use are the large pens if the cows are only allowed to look out onto the meadows?

There are many farmers here who, due to the cramped location of the farm, could not build a playpen according to the requirements, among other things.

The immense pressure of the agricultural authorities to increase the number of animals makes it even more difficult.

Wax or soften, I took off my rose-colored glasses a long time ago.

Back to the wolf: So are you in favor of being shot down?

No, I am clearly against being shot down. My idea of ​​stunning and relocating a wolf may be naive, but the wolf is protected under European law and not under hunting law. It should stay that way. A single withdrawal should only be possible in justified exceptional cases. This is where the government of Upper Bavaria is called upon to create the conditions. I also want to protect the wolf, he is a beautiful wild animal. Therefore we have to guarantee in some way that the wolf does not settle with us. Regular round tables and exchanges with other affected regions are necessary. Considering the around 150 alpine pastures in our district alone, an adjustment of the protection status should perhaps be considered. We need the grazing.

It should not be easy to convey to a wolf that it is only tolerated as a traveler.

We can only act when we really have a wolf here.

This is currently not the case.

In the spring a wolf was spotted near Großseeham, but it apparently only passed through.

I do not know that we have already had withdrawals.

But of course there are a lot of rumors and maybe there is something to it.

And the panic is sporadic.

It is understandable, but we now have to act calmly and deliberately and that is obviously quite possible in our district, which I am really happy about.

Also read: A wolf has been spotted in Großseeham - Alpine farmers are in fear

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-10-08

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