Wolves spread further across the Netherlands
BIJ12 records fourteen packs and reports confirmed presence in more and more areas beyond the Veluwe.
The Netherlands has fourteen wolf packs, according to BIJ12’s latest monitoring. The animals live mainly on the Veluwe, but have also established themselves in Drenthe, the Gelderse Vallei and the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, among other areas.
BIJ12’s latest distribution information lists fourteen packs in the Netherlands. Seven of them have a territory on the Veluwe. Other packs live in the Gelderse Vallei, on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and in the north of the country, including Midden-Drenthe and Zuid-Drenthe.
BIJ12 also reports confirmed sightings in the Vechtdal area of Overijssel. This does not automatically mean that a new pack has settled there. A wolf can travel long distances, and a report may concern a roaming animal that does not yet have its own territory.
The monitoring distinguishes between packs, pairs and individual roamers. A pack is a pair of wolves that has had cubs; a pair can also live in an area for a longer period without any pups having been confirmed. The exact number of animals in the Netherlands is therefore difficult to establish.
In its 2025 annual report, BIJ12 said that cubs had been confirmed through the Wolvenmeldpunt for ten packs. According to the monitoring, 131 different wolves were identified by DNA that year. That figure concerns animals confirmed in the Netherlands and is not the same as an estimate of the total population.
The wolf’s return raises ecological questions as well as administrative conflicts. Provinces are responsible for handling damage to livestock and for measures intended to prevent attacks. At the same time, wolves are legally protected, meaning that intervention is subject to conditions.
The latest map mainly shows that wolves can move across a larger part of the country. It does not provide precise territory boundaries and does not mean that wolves live permanently in every municipality mentioned. New sightings must therefore always be checked before they are classified as evidence of a settled population.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- BIJ12 counts fourteen wolf packs in the Netherlands.
- Wolves are legally protected.
- Provinces handle damage to livestock and work on preventive measures.
Left
Arguments The wolf’s return is part of nature restoration and requires room for a protected species. The costs of living alongside wolves should not fall mainly on individual farmers; prevention and compensation should be publicly funded.
Values Biodiversity, animal welfare and solidarity with affected farmers.
Consequences Greater public support for prevention could improve coexistence, but would require long-term funding and could impose additional rules on farming.
Centre
Arguments Policy should be based on reliable monitoring, prevention and clear intervention rules for each area. Protection remains the starting point, but exceptions must be workable when safety or repeated damage is demonstrably at stake.
Values Proportionality, evidence and administrative predictability.
Consequences An area-based approach could limit polarisation, but requires good data and co-operation between provinces, farmers and nature organisations.
Right
Arguments The government should give greater weight to farmers’ safety and property rights when wolves settle in densely populated areas. Protection rules must not lead to situations in which citizens or businesses have no effective solution.
Values Safety, responsibility and the protection of property.
Consequences Wider opportunities to intervene could reduce damage and fear, but could fragment the population and conflict with European protection rules.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The figures, areas and definitions are based on current BIJ12 monitoring and the national report. The text distinguishes between sightings, established packs and estimates of the total population.
- confirmed The Netherlands has fourteen wolf packs, according to BIJ12. — BIJ12’s current overview lists fourteen packs. source
- confirmed Seven packs have a territory on the Veluwe. — BIJ12 lists seven territories on the Veluwe. source
- confirmed BIJ12 reports confirmed presence in the Vechtdal. — BIJ12’s current overview mentions several sightings in the Vechtdal. source
- confirmed In 2025, 131 different wolves were identified through DNA. — NOS derived this figure from BIJ12 monitoring. source
- confirmed A sighting outside an existing territory does not automatically prove the presence of a new pack. — BIJ12 distinguishes established packs from roaming wolves and warns that territories are not exact. source
Editor's note
BIJ12 confirms fourteen packs and the current areas of distribution. A sighting outside existing areas is not automatically evidence of a newly established pack; the claim has therefore been phrased cautiously.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- Trouw — „wolf wolven”
- RTL Nieuws — „wolf wolven”
- FD — „wolf wolven”