© Staffan Widstrand / WWF
WWF Slovakia, the “My sme les” initiative and the Aevis Foundation have strongly condemned the decision by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to allow the culling of 74 wolves in the upcoming hunting season. Conservation groups say the quota has no scientific basis, offers no solutions to farmers, and directly threatens wolf populations.
The Ministry of the Environment and the State Nature Conservancy have been accused of failing to defend the species and of once again capitulating to hunting interests.
No evidence that hunting reduces damage
Wolf hunting is often presented as a way to reduce attacks on livestock, but this assumption has never been scientifically confirmed. Environmentalists are calling on the state to support farmers through systemic measures instead.
Electric fences, guard dogs and other preventive tools have long proved effective abroad. “Experience from previous years shows that even mass culling has not brought farmers any relief. Damage has remained at the same level and has even increased in some regions. If the government truly wants to help farmers, it must provide them with stable support instead of yielding to hunting pressures,” said Milan Olekšák from the “My sme les” initiative.
Buffer zones missing
Although the ministry has stated that hunting will not be allowed in areas with the highest level of protection, in sites of European importance, or in border regions, conservationists warn that wolves migrate and do not recognise such boundaries.
In January, hunting already took place close to protected areas (see the map below), and no buffer zones have been established around hunting-free areas this season. Conservationists say this irresponsible approach could threaten wolf populations in protected zones and neighbouring countries. Such actions by Slovakia have previously triggered infringement procedures by the European Commission.
‘Alibist behaviour’
“The Ministry of the Environment is the guarantor of the EU Habitats Directive. Instead of defending nature conservation, it acts in an evasive way and ignores its own commitments. We ask: what position did they take during the working group negotiations? Did they advocate for a zero quota and stand up for nature conservation, did they give in to unjustified hunting demands, or did they even support the hunt themselves?” said Katarína Butkovská from WWF-Slovakia.
Environmentalists criticised the Ministry of the Environment and the State Nature Conservancy for failing to defend what they called an iconic and ecologically important species.
“We consider wolf hunting to be a wrong, unprofessional, and politically motivated decision. It serves hunting interests at the expense of nature conservation and is an abuse of power. The ministries should focus on effective preventive measures and help farmers compensate for potential damages. Shooting wolves will not solve the problem, it will only make it worse,” said Rastislav Mičaník from the Aevis Foundation.
Call to hunters
Conservation groups are urging hunters and hunting associations not to participate in the cull. The main message of the groups is that wolf is not a trophy but a keystone species and a symbol of Slovakia’s wilderness.
Additional information
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has approved the culling of 74 wolves during the 2025/2026 hunting season. The quota is distributed among regions as follows: Banská Bystrica Region – 21 wolves, Žilina – 25, Prešov – 17, Košice – 7, and Trenčín – 4. Hunting will take place from 1 September 2025 to 15 January 2026 or until the quota is reached.
A map of the January 2025 cull shows that wolves were killed in districts where livestock damage was negligible, while in regions with the highest losses, no culling took place. It also highlights cases where hunting may have affected wolf populations close to sites of European importance (SACs) where wolves are a protected species (marked in green).
