"Mirco" the wolf: a European coalition is calling for action from the European Commission. "I'm Not Afraid of the Wolf," along with over 20 associations, is promoting the initiative and preparing a formal complaint to Brussels and a case file with the Bern Convention.
Albareto (PR), July 7, 2026 – The association I am not afraid of the APS wolf, promoter of the initiative together with ANCA – Austrian Nature Conservation Alliance, today sent a formal letter to the European Commissioner for the Environment, Jessika Roswall, calling for an immediate verification of the legitimacy of the killing in Austria of Mirco, a young Italian wolf equipped with a GPS radio collar and monitored as part of a scientific project coordinated by the Belluno Dolomites National Park and the University of Sassari.
The letter, signed by over twenty organizations, experts, and professionals from Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands, was also forwarded to the Secretariat of the Berne Convention and represents the first step in a broader institutional effort that the Italian association is coordinating at the European level.
I'm not afraid of the wolf, which promoted and coordinated the entire international initiative, confirms that they are in the process of preparing a formal complaint to the European Commission, aimed at verifying the possible violation of Community legislation on the protection of wild fauna, and the request to open an investigation Case File under the Berne Convention, so that the case can also be examined by the Council of Europe.
According to the letter, the scientific information and documentation that have emerged so far raise extremely significant doubts about the matter. The radio collar data would indicate that, when the Tyrolean authorities authorized the culling of the wolf deemed problematic, Mirco was still in Italy, in the province of Bolzano. Only later did it cross the border, a fact that was promptly reported to the Austrian authorities as part of normal international scientific cooperation.
If these circumstances were confirmed, the wolf killed might not be the animal covered by the authorization, with obvious implications for the correct application of European legislation.
The case takes on even greater significance considering that Mirco was an animal included in a major research project aimed at studying the dispersal of young wolves in the Alps, a fundamental element for understanding ecological connectivity and genetic exchanges between European populations.
The letter also recalls the precedent of the wolf Andrea, also Italian and equipped with a GPS radio collar as part of a project by the University of Udine, shot down in Carinthia in February 2026. Two scientifically monitored wolves, belonging to two separate Italian research projects, were killed in Austria within a few months: a circumstance that, according to the signatories, requires a thorough review of the ways in which the exemptions provided for by European legislation are applied.
In addition to individual incidents, the document highlights structural weaknesses in the legislation in force in several Austrian states. These include extremely broad criteria for classifying a wolf as "endangered," deterrent systems lacking scientific validation, and regulations thatwhich would allow for slaughter authorizations even when it is not possible to identify with certainty the individual animal responsible for the contested behavior.
According to the signatories, these provisions risk being incompatible with the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC, the Bern Convention and the established case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The signatories further point out that, in the latest report submitted by Vienna pursuant to Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, Austria has classified the conservation status of its wolf population as “unfavourable-inadequate (U1+)”, a circumstance that makes the evaluation of the legitimacy of authorised culling even more delicate.
“The management of large carnivores can require complex decisions, but such decisions must always be based on science, rigorous technical assessment and full compliance with European law,” he says. Daniel Ecotti, President of I'm not afraid of the wolf. “When two wolves, the subject of international scientific monitoring, are killed within a few months, it is right to ask the European institutions to verify whether EU regulations have been correctly applied.”
The aim of the initiative is not only to shed light on Mirco's case, but to verify whether the episodes represent a systemic problem in the application of the derogations provided for by the Habitats Directive and whether current wolf management practices in Austria are compatible with obligations under European law and international agreements on biodiversity conservation.
The European coalition finally announces that, in the next few weeks, in addition to the filing of the formal complaint at the European Commission, the opening of a Case File at the Bern Convention, so that the case can also be examined under the main international treaty for the protection of wildlife in Europe.