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After nearly centuries-extinction, Europe‘S wolves Has made a remarkable comeback. Over the past decade, the wolf population has increased by approximately 60%. More than 21,500 in 2022 wolves were recorded throughout the continent.
Countries that were long wolf-free are now home to thriving packs. GermanyItaly, Poland, Spain and Romania each have more than 1,000 wolves. For scientists, it’s a rare conservation success story: A large predator is reclaiming landscapes dominated by human activity.
where we live denmarkThe comeback has been more modest. Wolves disappeared from Danish forests in 1813, when they were hunted and exterminated – they are remembered only in stories and fairy tales. Then, in 2012, a lone male wolf crossed the border from Germany into Jutland, denmarkPeninsula bordering Germany. More followed. As of 2017, Denmark celebrated its first confirmed breeding pack in over 200 years.
Today, the wolf population in Denmark is estimated at over 40, of which at least seven breeding pairs are known to produce cubs.
Yet even this small number has sparked fierce debate over livestock and public safety in one of Europe’s most intensively farmed countries, with views on wolves reflecting wider political divisions across Denmark.
European Union Recently the protection status of wolves has been downgraded, taking them from “strictly protected” to merely “protected”. This change makes it easier for member states to authorize local killing.
Earlier this spring, the Danish government announced that “problem wolves” could be legally shot if they repeatedly wandered into cities or attacked livestock behind secure fences. And the first legal license to shoot a wolf accused of multiple attacks was granted in September.
Experts have already suggested that the mysteriously high mortality rates and “disappearing” wolves are probably the result of poaching. And conservationists fear that quotas on wolf numbers could be imposed, as in neighboring Sweden.
As political scientists, we wanted to understand how Danes feel about the return of wolves. This summer, we included a question on wolves in a YouGov survey on climate and environment. We asked: “Do you agree with the statement that the breeding of wolf packs is beneficial for Danish nature?”
Of the 2,172 respondents, 43% disagreed, 30% agreed and 27% were neutral or unsure. Breaking down the results by politics reveals clear patterns. Supporters of the left and green parties were most positive, with about 45% agreeing that wolves are good for nature. Right-leaning voters were far more skeptical, with almost half of supporters of new right-wing parties strongly disagreeing. Even many Social Democrat voters (usually considered centre-left) leaned towards dissent, which shows how integrated the issue has become into traditional political divisions.
people in Copenhagen And other large cities were slightly more positive about the return of wolves than smaller towns or rural areas, but attitudes everywhere remained mixed. Living in the countryside does not automatically make one a wolf sceptic, nor does urban life guarantee support.
However, age was the strongest predictor of support. Young Danes (18–34) were overwhelmingly supportive, with more than 50% agreeing that wolves benefit nature. Support declines steadily with age, however, with a majority of those over 55 – and nearly 60% of those over 73 – strongly disagreeing.
We’ve spent more than a decade considering more traditional political issues and have never seen such an age gap. Thus, the resurgence of wolves has become more than just a wildlife problem.
Wolves, myth and reality
Few animals excite the imagination like wolves. They appear as villains in fairy tales, sacred protectors, as well as harbingers of apocalypse in Norse myths and ecological superheroes in biology textbooks. Some wolves became closely associated with humans as “man’s best friend”, while others became our worst enemies – see the big bad wolf.
Conservationists call wolves a “keystone species.” This means that because they naturally control the numbers of deer and other prey, their presence can allow forests and grasslands to regrow. yellowstone Parks in the US are a prime example: after wolves were reintroduced, aspen and willow trees flourished for the first time in decades.
About the authors
Kristian Kongshøj is Associate Professor of Political Science at Aalborg University.
Troels Fjes Hedegaard is an Associate Professor at the Center for Comparative Welfare Studies of Green Societies at Aalborg University.
This article is republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. read the original article,
But Denmark is not Yellowstone. Its countryside is a patchwork of farms, towns and highways with small, heavily managed nature reserves. Whether wolves can restore “wild balance” here is uncertain – and the Danes’ views reflect that uncertainty. Indeed, for some farmers and rural residents, wolves are no longer a symbol of hunting wild animals – they are real predators, threatening livestock and livelihoods.
Fear also plays a role: Parents worry about children wandering in the woods, and dog owners worry about their pets. Statistically, wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare, yet perception is often more important than facts.
Events in neighboring countries may increase uneasiness. Earlier this year, a six-year-old boy was attacked by a wolf in the Netherlands. And this summer in Denmark, two young boys spent hours in a tree thinking an “aggressive wolf” was nearby. The story made headlines, but it was later revealed that the animal was actually a big cat. It’s a reminder of how quickly fear spreads, whether the threat is real or not.
Our findings show that fears and myths about wolves are not mere folklore. They are expressed in genuine attitudes, which reflect deeply held values and cultural identity.
Wolves have come to represent more than just wildlife. They are powerful symbols of environmental ideals and social attitudes – attitudes toward them are influenced less by geography and more by political beliefs and generational attitudes. For policy makers and conservationists, understanding these perceptions is essential to maintain the delicate balance between species recovery and public acceptance.
This article was commissioned as part of a partnership in collaboration with Videnskab.dk ConversationYou can read the Danish version of this article here.