“Status of the grey wolf in Macedonia” - Dime Melovski - phd in spatial, feeding ecology and conservation for the critically endangered Balkan lynx. Work position: programme manager for wildlife at Macedonian Ecological Society.

Macedonia is probably the last country in Europe where bounties are granted for each killed wolf. The situation is far from favorable and implies steep decline. Macedonia is an attractive and rare destination for legal wolf hunting which makes it a sink for the Dinaric-Balkan wolf population. Furthermore, a hybridization with stray dogs is another threat to the genetic make-up of the wolf which is a problem that is more and more relevant in the Macedonian countryside. I conclude that an urgent change in the Hunting Law takes place and immediate monitoring of the population commence in order to accurately assess the population and start proposing actions for its recovery.