Greek hunters call for wolf culling rights after child attacked on beach

THESSALONIKI, Oct 1 — Hunters and farmers in Greece are urging authorities to allow wolf culling after a child was attacked on a northern beach, warning that the predator’s numbers are rising.

Earlier this month, a five-year-old girl was grabbed by the waist by a wolf while playing on a Halkidiki beach. A bystander drove the animal away by throwing stones, but it later followed the girl and her mother to their apartment yard, local media reported.

Hunters argue that wolf sightings are now frequent and that the animals pose a growing threat to livestock and hunting dogs. “They have eaten many dogs and livestock lately. There are attacks almost every day,” said 60-year-old hunter Stelios Thomas from Thessaloniki.

Local officials said traps were being set in the area and, if capture fails, the wolf will be killed.

According to wolf expert Yorgos Iliopoulos of the NGO Callisto, the animal involved appeared unusually accustomed to humans, likely due to earlier feeding. He stressed that its behaviour could not be reversed and that removal was necessary, ideally through capture.

Callisto estimates Greece’s wolf population at over 2,000, with their range expanding into Attica and the Peloponnese. Abandoned farmland and abundant prey such as wild boar and deer have supported the rebound, part of a wider European trend.

Large carnivores are increasingly encroaching on inhabited areas. Bear sightings have also risen, with between 550 and 900 now in Greece. Just last week, an 80-year-old man in Zagori was injured when a brown bear entered his garden.

Environmental groups say the presence of wolves and bears should be managed through planning and rapid-response systems, warning against public panic while acknowledging growing human–wildlife conflicts. — AFP