Tõnu Peterson, representative of the Tartu branch of the national hunters' society (Eesti Jahimeeste Selts), said multiple wolves had negotiated a fence which had once been electrified but no longer was. The attack happened at the Vasula farm, just 50 meters from the nearest farmhouse.

When going to check on the animals in the pasture on Monday, sheep farmer Rein Mirka was met with the sad sight — over 40 lambs killed by wolves lay in the field, their throats bitten through.

Mirka told "Aktuaalne kaamera: "We called in the local hunters. They assessed what had happened and confirmed that it was indeed a wolf pack. This is quite rare in spring; usually, it happens in the second half of summer or in autumn. This is completely rare and unexpected."

Peterson noted that the attack was likely the work of younger wolves. Some of the animals were still alive when found but barely breathing, as the video below shows (viewer discretion advised).

The club has successfully applied to the Environmental Board for a special permit to hunt wolves in nearby Tammistu and Vahelaane. The Vasula landowner, just 10 kilometers north of Tartu city, is installing trail cameras.

The last similar incident at the same farm was in November 2023. A more recent attack last fall occurred at a farm in Maramaa, five kilometers from Vasula.

Livestock keepers and farm managers are concerned about rising wolf and predator attacks, including in the Soomaa area in southwestern Estonia. They say this threatens the sustainability of traditional land management.

They have approached the Minister of Energy and Environment to seek a solution, and have also obtained a special hunting permit.

Environmental Board grants special two-wolf cull permit

To prevent further attacks, the Environmental Board (Keskkonnaamet) has issued a special permit to hunt two wolves. in the Vasula area exclusively.

Tanel Jürna, head of the board's hunting and aquatic life office, said: "A special permit has been issued to hunt two wolves specifically in that area, with the hope of targeting the young wolves responsible for the attack."

Wolf numbers are currently high, which leads to more encounters with humans and their domestic animals. Since boosting hunting quotas would not help in this situation, this was also the rationale behind the permit.

The board has also issued a special permit for the same purpose in Soomaa.

While smaller attacks in spring, post-culling period, are not unheard of, the board says one of the scale seen in Vasula is unusual.

Zoologist: Large predator management plan not up to task

Zoologist Nikolai Laanetu however said that while special permits address issues with specific problem packs, the will not resolve the broader issues of wolf population and predation, and in fact the conservation plan in this area needs an overhaul.

He said the rise in wolf numbers has been accompanied by a drop in prey numbers and a deterioration in habitat, for instance thanks to clear-cutting deforestation, meaning the animals could become more brazen in seeking prey, as here.

Mainly, the national large predator management plan has not scientifically assessed habitat quality.

Laanetu said: "At present major mistakes have been made by not hunting at a level that corresponds to habitat capacity or its quality, the food base, and the size of the habitat. And that is the entire philosophy. The management plans detail population biology, ecology, and genetics extremely thoroughly, but one important parameter has been left out — habitat quality and its size. The current conservation plan should be rejected and revised as we cannot actually manage the wolf population within these parameters."

However, the Environmental Board says the current plan was drawn up using the optimal available studies.

Türna said that more debate is needed with stakeholders, and conceded that if these conversations reveal a need for change, then changes to the plan – which is 10 years in length – can be made.

The last wolf culling season was held by a legal challenge, and ended in February with the cull quota unfulfilled.

Editor's note: This piece was updated to include quotes from Rein Mirka, Tanel Jürna and Nikolai Laanetu.

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