Spain bans the wolf hunting. One of the countries in Europe that until now recognized the practice, takes a step back by inserting the wolf in the list of protected animals on its territory and thus paving the way for the ban. This is a historic decision that makes environmentalists rejoice, but at the same time arouses the wrath of rural communities in the northwest where the animal is most present. The turning point was dictated by the decision of the state commission for the conservation of natural heritage, in which the general directors of the autonomous communities of Spain sit, which approved, albeit with a very narrow margin, the proposal of experts and the government to include the wolf in the list of protected species.
Cantabria, Asturias, Castile and León and Galicia, all regions with wolf populations north of the Duero, voted against the proposal. The remaining regions of the country voted in favor of the status of protected species. The decision will now be submitted to the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, to order the law: "In the coming days we will add the wolf to the list of protected species», The responsible for the environment in the socialist government of Pedro Sanchez announced after the vote.
To this day, wolves could still be hunted north of the Duero River, where most of the wolves live 2.500 animals remained. But for Ignacio Valle, president of the Royal Federation of hunting, “the ban does not take into account the point of view of the peasant world", With its customs, its culture and also its balance (The print).