...and most of the Danish politicians and the press simply ignore the problems. That is why we turn to you for help in raising the awareness of the tragic consequences of rewilding.

June 2021 The Guardian wrote an article on rewilding in Denmark. Since then, the problems have gone from bad to worse with multiple cases of animal neglect all over the country in rewilding and nature restoration projects.

Rewilding in Denmark is state-sanctioned, which means that most of the Danish politicians support this extreme kind of rewilding. This fact makes it very hard for critics to raise our voices in the Danish media that often uncritically side with the rewilders claiming that vets, farmers, horse owners and animal organisations like Hestens Værn (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Horses) are sentimentalists who are unable to accept the laws of nature.

The rewilding-biologists argue that animals living in freedom have a high quality of life compared to the life of animals in conventional animal farming and thus use this whataboutism to justify the fact that rewilding-animals are often left to suffer severe starvation and with no basic care such as hoof trimming or veterianry treatment.

These views are presented by pro-rewilders like Mr Morten D.D. Hansen, COO of Aarhus Natural Museum, and Mr Rasmus Ejrnæs, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Bioscience, the University of Aarhus, who, supported by the majority of the Danish Parliament, are pushing the agenda for extensive rewilding in Denmark. In this article Morten D.D. Hansen openly states that it is not the purpose of the Mols Laboratory to ensure the survival of the animals.

("Vores formål er ikke, at dyrene skal overleve"). 

Likewise, Rasmus Ejrnæs does not consider the animals' hunger to be problematic either, when he claims that there is no reason to believe that death by starvation is more painful for the animals than death by shooting or more painful than being deprived of their sexual instincts by sterilization ([der er ingen grund til] ”at tro, at sultedød om vinteren er et mere lidelsesfuldt endeligt for dyrene, end det er at blive frataget livet ved skydning eller blive frataget livsudfoldelsen gennem sterilisering.”

Consequently, the wish for more biodiversity in Denmark has created a cynical attitude towards defenseless fenced animals. When locals try to intervene by feeding the animals, alarming the police or just by keeping an eye on the animals, they are being ridiculed in the public debate and accused of harassment. However, all we ask is that the Danish Animal Welfare Act should be observed.

If you would like to get further details and help us raise the awareness of rewilding, please contact us at stoprewildingdenmark@yahoo.com 

More info from veterian Lotte Bøgedal on Facebook

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