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For some time now, there has been a trend in Europe towards the reintroduction of carnivore species that were thought to be extinct. Organizations such as the WWF are campaigning for the reintroduction of predators that in many places are only known from various media. They emphasize the central role of these animals in the ecological balance and promote projects that enable humans and predators to live together with little conflict. In some cases, animals are bred in special breeding programs and their offspring are released into the wild. Animals are released and protective measures are taken: Legislative measures such as the EU Habitats Directive and international treaties such as the Bern Convention have contributed to the recovery of large carnivore populations in Europe. These laws protect wild animals and plants and have made the comeback of carnivores possible.
Bears and wolves in particular have benefited from this practice, but conservationists would also like to see smaller predators such as lynx and wildcats back in Europe’s forests. In the course of this, or was it even the trigger for this endeavor, a seemingly idyllic idea of a balance of forces and factors in nature is communicated and often vehemently defended by supporters of this idea. Ecosystems would be fundamentally stable conditions that would only be upset by humans, whose appearance on the world stage alone…
