The Irony of the Wild: Culling Iberian Wolves Despite Their Role in Stopping Swine Fever

The wolf species that shares habitat with wild boars affected by African Swine Fever in Spain is the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus), a distinct subspecies of the gray wolf, an umbrella species. Iberian wolves are a vital part of the ecosystem. Wild boars are a major part of the Iberian wolf’s natural diet, making the wolves a key predator for controlling wild ungulate populations such as wild boar. However, hunting of the Iberian wolf is allowed to protect the region’s livestock, and the irony is that hunting of the Iberian wolf is permitted to protect livestock. But a swine fever (flu) epidemic in the wild boars of the region has been occurring since 2025.

Predator and Prey Dynamics

The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is the only wolf species/subspecies found on the Iberian Peninsula. They primarily inhabit northwestern Spain (especially the regions of Castilla y León, Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria). This area overlaps with heavily populated wild boar territories affected by African Swine Fever. https://wolf.org/wow/europe/spain/

First Reported Case of African Swine Flu in More Than Twenty Years

“Health authorities have confirmed the detection of African swine fever (ASF) in two wild boars found dead in the Collserola Natural Park, near Barcelona. This is the first case recorded in Spain in more than twenty years. Although this virus does not affect humans, it is highly contagious among domestic pigs and wild boar, and poses a serious threat to the livestock sector and local biodiversity.” Source: First case of African swine fever in wild boars in Collserola in more than two decades. 28 de November de 2025 by Comitè de Bioseguretat

Access restriction to Collserola Park due to swine fever, What is African swine fever, how is it transmitted and what impact could it have? Official information on African swine fever in Spain

The Iberian Wolf (Canis lupus signatus) and Wild boars are widespread across Spain.

Wild boars are a major part of the Iberian wolf’s natural diet, making the wolves a key predator for controlling wild ungulate populations such as wild boar. However, hunting of the Iberian wolf is allowed to protect the region’s livestock.

“African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks are keeping people out of parks in Spain. The virus has triggered severe environmental closures and recreational bans in the Collserola Natural Park near Barcelona. These restrictions are expected to remain in place throughout the summer. source: Goodbye to Collserola for the entire summer: African swine fever closes the park for the coming months by David León Himelfarb ·  May 26, 2026

In early June 2026, over 2,000 citizens and outdoor enthusiasts held a popular march, defying the caution tape and police presence to access the park. What if these protesters turned thier popular march towards protecting the Iberian wolf, which is a key predator for controlling wild ungulate populations such as wild boar? In recent years, the Iberian wolf’s population has been affected by climate change, and wolf hunting.

The Iberian wolf makes them an umbrella species, a predator species that maintains the biodiversity of an ecosystem.

The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is an iconic subspecies native to the Iberian Peninsula. Once widespread, centuries of human persecution, habitat fragmentation, and prey depletion drove the population to a historic bottleneck in the 1970s, reducing its range by approximately 68%. Today, the species faces ongoing threats of inbreeding, climate change, and human-wildlife conflict.

Humans do not want thier recreational parks closed because of the African Swine flu, yet they advocate for the killing and culling of the Iberian wolf, which is the solution to the problem. The hunting of the Iberian wolf is permitted in Spain to protect livestock. In Wisconsin, gray wolves reside in the northern and southern forests. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is not prevalent in wolf territory.

Wild boars are a major part of the Iberian wolf’s natural diet, making the wolves a key predator for controlling wild ungulate populations such as wild boar. However, hunting of the Iberian wolf is allowed to protect the region’s livestock, and the irony is that hunting of the Iberian wolf is permitted to protect livestock. But a swine fever (flu) epidemic in the wild boars of the region has been occurring since 2025.

The irony of it all is that if conservation efforts concentrated thier efforts on the natural solutions to these two diseases by letting nature take its course, it would solve the problems. Predator and prey dynamics have been around for centuries.

Keep wolves protected because they protect the ecosystems they inhabit!