Trapping and re‐educating bold wolves in the European Union: Obligatory and illegal at the same time?

Abstract Effective wolf conservation requires effective measures to prevent and address problematic behaviour displayed by wolves towards people (and pets) – and by people towards wolves. Such action appears to be required by European nature conservation legislation – the Bern Convention on European Wildlife Conservation and the EU Habitats Directive in particular – read in light of international best practice recommendations. To this end, ‘soft‐catch’ leghold traps appear to be indispensable in efforts to capture, radio‐collar and aversively condition ‘bold wolves’. The 1991 EU Leghold Trap Regulation, however, contains a general leghold trap prohibition. This article explores both sides of the story and addresses the question of whether there is a way out of the apparent conflict of laws, and whether the use of soft‐catch leghold traps for research and conservation purposes may be legally defensible after all.