Austria:EUROPA 2021 - Wolf

2021's theme for the EUROPA Stamp Competition is "Endangered National Wildlife". The artwork chosen by Österreichische Post for this year's topic is the wolf.

Issue Description
The wolf has been considered extinct in Austria since 1882 as a result of intense persecution, destruction of the natural habitat and insufficient prey. However, starting around 2009, individual animals kept arriving in the country and in 2016, the first wolf family had Austrian-born puppies in Allentsteig/Lower Austria. As of today, roughly 30 wolves live in Austria. They roam in Allentsteig and especially in the forest as well as in the area bordering the Czech Republic.

Wolves are predators and hunt mostly deer and wild boars. They prefer old, sick, or weak animals, which is why the presence of wolves has a positive effect on the overall health of the wildlife: it prevents diseases from spreading among wildlife and stabilizes the ecosystem. In Europe, wolves are strictly protected by the EU nature protection legislation. Their return to Austria triggered a controversial debate, but the WWF emphasises that wolves are a natural part of Austrian species diversity and advocates for good cross-border wolf management that promotes smooth cohabitation between wolves and humans. One of the recommendations is to protect grazing animals by using herd protection dogs and building electric pasture fences.

Stamps
The postage stamp depicts the endangered Wolf in Austria.

EUROPA Series
Other Issues under the EUROPA theme include: