Wolf ’s head left in pool after spate of attacks

POLICE in northern Spain launched an investigation after a dead wolf’s head and tail were left in a public swimming pool in a protest by farmers over attacks by wolves on their livestock.

The Guardia Civil’s wildlife protection unit is trying to find out who dumped the grisly remains at an openair pool in the village of Infiesto, in the Picos de Europa mountain range of eastern Asturias.

The wolf is a protected species in Asturias, but angry protestors blocked country roads near the Picos de Europa National Park on Saturday, demanding more support to save their sheep, goats and calves from apparent wolf attacks.

The leaders of the march read out a statement criticising Asturian authorities who “publicise our area to attract people to visit our landscape and try our products, but who don’t care for the land or the people”.

Compensation schemes for dead livestock were insufficient and obsolete due to an increase in wolf attacks, protestors claimed.

Spanish environmentalists argue that the country’s wolf population is struggling to remain stable due to authorised hunting and poaching.

“The species is suffering a regression towards the North West due to brutal hunting that prevents it from extending towards its traditional territories in the south,” said Ángel M. Sánchez, at the presentation of a report he co-authored earlier this year which counted the number of Spanish wolves killed in 2017 at between 500 and 650.

The total number of Iberian wolves in Spain is estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000.