There has been an uptick in serious wolf attacks against cattle on the Soomaa floodplains since the end of 2024.

Tiit Soa has been raising cattle on the territory of Soomaa National Park for more than 10 years.

"I have around 200 cows here on the floodplains, and the wolves have killed half of their calves, about 100 calves. Basically, the situation is catastrophic, because they simply won't stop until they wipe out all the calves in the herd," he told "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Cattle farmer Andres Hein said his herd has been destroyed. "There is nothing left now, the rest will have to be taken away and that's it. About 30 have been eaten, and they keep on eating more," he said.

Pärnu County cattle farmer Siim Suitsmart takes his animals to the Soomaa floodplains in summer, and until now, wolves had not attacked them there.

"We brought them there at the end of May, to the Halliste River floodplain. They were able to stay there for three days. Then a wolf attack happen. One calf was eaten, and a few days later there were more attacks, where the herd was driven off the pasture," he said.

Farmers want more help

Cattle farmers are expecting stronger intervention from the state to help solve the problem.

They believe that protecting wolves has become more important than maintaining the floodplains of the national park, something the state itself wants and even pays for.

For nearly a year now, Soa and other Soomaa cattle farmers have been writing to various authorities to say that wolf protection in Soomaa has gone too far. They want the problem wolves to be hunted.

Soa has also requested an extraordinary session of the Riigikogu's rural affairs and environment committees to discuss the issue.

"Since I did not get help from the Environmental Agency, I turned to higher authorities," said Soa. "We're being given substitute activities, like being told about five-wire fences. We tried that fence; it didn't work. The wolf population has been allowed to grow so large that the food base in the forest and the number of wolves are no longer in balance."

Three wolf packs

The Environmental Agency said three wolf packs live in the Soomaa area and one of those is within the national park. The situation in Soomaa is complicated first because the difficult terrain makes it harder to protect livestock from wolves, second because hunting is not allowed in the area, and third because wolves may not be hunted in the hunting districts bordering Soomaa either.

However, the agency does not agree that nothing has been done.

Tanel Türna, head of the hunting and aquatic life department, stressed that the agency recognizes the problem.

"Since the end of last year, wolf attacks on cattle have increased and the process continues. The main Soomaa wolf pack has always been one of our conservation goals. We have wanted to preserve this pack. But now that wolves have no food base and have turned to killing cattle, something must be done to change the situation, and something must be done with the main Soomaa pack that we have protected until now," he told "Aktuaalne kaamera".

"For 20 years, no wolves have been hunted there. As a solution, since March of this year, the Environmental Board has already issued several special permits," the official added.

Unprecedented permits

Türna said it is unprecedented for the agency to issue hunting permits within a national park, but it must be done until the problem is resolved.

Farmer and hunter Suitsmart thinks hunting should continue on a larger scale. "We are local hunters, but we do not have wolf permits here, and the wolf feels very safe here," he said.

One wolf was killed a week ago by a hunter with a special permit. Hunter Aimar Arro said he spent nearly 20 hours in an ambush to do so.

Both Arro and Suitsmart believe wolf hunting should also be allowed in the hunting districts bordering Soomaa.

"The authorities must decide whether floodplain maintenance or wolf breeding is more important," Suitsmart said.

The Environmental Agency admitted that it is difficult to preserve both the Soomaa floodplains and protect the wolf.

"At the same time, perhaps a compromise is possible – reduce the grazed areas somewhat, strengthen preventive measures, and treat Soomaa as a special area," Türna said.

Soa stressed that if the situation does not improve, cattle farming in Soomaa will no longer be possible. However, he has not lost hope and has begun planning the construction of a winter shelter to protect his cattle from preditors.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!