Dozens of countries on Tuesday approved downgrading the protection status of the wolf in Europe, a move activists say will upset the recovery made by the species over the past 10 years after near extinction a century ago.

Wolves in Europe will be less protected from hunting from 2025, after a majority of European countries on Tuesday accepted a proposal to downgrade their status due to their growing number and their impact on agriculture and farming livestock.

The Council of Europe is paving the way for tougher action against wolves as their numbers grow steadily in several countries in the bloc. The responsible committee on Tuesday approved a corresponding proposal by the EU member states to lower the creature's protection status.

A commission charged with the protection of wildlife in Europe on Tuesday approved lowering the wolf's protection status from "strictly protected" to "protected", the Council of Europe said.

“African swine fever is spreading all over Europe, and the wolf is a very good ‘doctor’ for this, suppressing the disease. Wolves cannot catch it,” he explained. Opponents of culling also warn that disrupting wolf packs can have unintended consequence

The European Commission will propose next year relaxing the rules to safeguard the wolf, after an international committee decided to downgrade its protection status. On Tuesday, the standing committee of the Council of Europe’s Bern Convention,

Wolves have made a remarkable comeback in Europe over recent decades, but their resurgence has sparked tension, particularly among farmers. ..|News Track

The protection status of the wolf in the European Union will be updated. The wolf will no longer be a ‘strictly protected species’, but will soon go through life in the European Union as a ‘protected species’.

European nations have approved plans to scale back the protection for wolves in a victory for farmers over environmentalists that has caught the political limelight in the European Union

The European Union proposal was adopted after farmers — who have been increasingly angered by attacks on livestock by packs of wolves — pushed to allow culls.

Change in status under Bern Convention on nature protection could expose burgeoning wolf populations to culling and hunting for sport. View on euronews