The presence of large grazers in the area leads to matters which have not been dealt with before in nature management. Most of the rules that apply to animals that are ‘held’ do not apply to the wild animals at the Oostvaardersplassen. Various standards have therefore been drawn up concerning the manner in which these animals can be dealt with.

Large grazers’ guideline

Staatsbosbeheer has the political assignment to manage the Oostvaardersplassen in as natural a manner as possible and to thereby prevent unnecessary suffering among large grazers in the preserve. Because there was no framework for such supervision of wild animals, the lower house of parliament drew up the Large Grazers’ Guideline in 2000.

This covers, among other things, the following:

• intervention in the event of suffering,
• animal welfare in relation to the preserve, and 
• supplementary feeding.

Ethical guidelines

In 1999, Staatsbosbeheer drew up Ethical Guidelines for dealing with animals living in the wild in areas managed by Staatsbosbeheer. The guidelines were devised by a working party consisting of professional experts in the fields of animal behaviour, population zoology, the law, animal welfare, veterinary pathology, a vet, ethicists and both Staatsbosbeheer and other rangers. Almost all the guidelines were based on a combination of professional information and ethical reasoning. The technical information was primarily used to ascertain when, for example, suffering was caused or when an animal requires space to display species-specific behaviour. A decision was then made on ethical grounds concerning the limits within which the site manager’s actions should take place.

ICMO report

The Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality appointed an international committee after the winter die off of 2004-2005. The International Committee on the Management of large herbivores in the Oostvaardersplassen (ICMO) was to examine whether the existing management assignment Staatsbosbeheer was charged with was responsible with a view to the size of the reserve and, if so, under which conditions. This committee also studied a number of alternatives to the current, reactive policy. Occasioned by the ICMO report, current policy was recalibrated.

Alternatives studied:

• no intervention 
• reactive intervention (current policy) 
• proactive shooting 
• birth control
  

The committee came to the conclusion that the reactive policy as currently employed suits the area best. However, the committee did recommend that the shooting policy be made more stringent so that 90% of the animals die before they can no longer walk.

Council recommendations

The Council for Animal Affairs and the Council for the Rural Area also recommended (PDF only in Dutch available) the continuation of the ecological policy in their recommendations after the 2004-2005 winter. They were of the opinion that periodic suffering and natural deaths are compensated for by the higher level of welfare for the remaining animals. People will however, according to the councils, have to accept that this policy will lead to periods in which the welfare of the large grazers is less good.