The strict protection of certain animal species under the Habitats Directive (Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) extends to specimens which leave their natural habitat and end up in areas where people live, the Court of Justice confirmed in a ruling handed down on Thursday 11 June in the context of a reference for a preliminary ruling (Case C-88/19).
Thus, the capture and transport of a wolf found in a village can only be justified if it...