According to the Nature Management Agency, a flock of 150 mouflon wild sheep are causing considerable surface damage in the forests around Echternach. Specifically, the sheep are biting and damaging the bark of young beech trees. The president of the hunters' federation, Dr Georges Jacobs, has criticised the agency's approach to the sheep population, claiming that the current population has not been sufficiently registered.
The federation is not in agreement with the agency's method in dealing with the issue and has argued that the current state is not clear enough to proceed to a hunt. Dr Jacobs suggested that the figures used by the ministry are outdated and that the damage to the trees has occurred over the past decade. Instead, he pushed for a game management plan alongside an updated analysis of the current sheep population.
The main issue, according to the federation, is a lack of collaboration. Dr Jacobs is convinced that if agency officials met with hunters, they could come up with an adequate solution. He also criticised the decision to hold the hunt on one single plot of land. This could force the hunter to whom the plot is attributed to pay out funds for the hunt. The federation would support them if this were to occur.
The Nature Management Agency has reiterated a further issue in defence of the cull. The flock is not native to Luxembourg, which in turn means the living conditions in the Grand Duchy are not appropriate. Biologist Dr Laurent Schley stressed that the sheep are native to Corsica and Sardinia, and specifically the rocky habitat of the islands. There, the sheep can use their hooves well. The soft terrain of Luxembourg's forests instead mean the sheep cannot wear their hooves down and experience extreme claw growth.
Dr Jacobs refuted this, describing it as a 'marginal problem'. He referred to previous discourses, stating that those believing this is an issue did not share these concerns when it comes to sheep with long claws. The federation highlighted that the ministry should treat the matter in a more serious manner in order to optimally resolve the issue.
Wild sheep cull: What kind of damage is the wild sheep population in Echternach causing?
