Animal rights organisation calls for feeding wolves to be made illegal
The animal rights organisation Dyrenes Beskyttelse, (Animal Protection Denmark) has called in a press statement for it to be made illegal to feed wild wolves, as feeding the animals makes them more trusting of humans which leads to problematic behaviour.
"They become [more trusting] when they again and again are taught that humans and settlements mean easy food," biologist Michael Carlsen said in the statement. "Every form of feeding poses a risk to people and wolves."
A so called "suspected problem wolf" was shot near Nørre Nebel in western Jutland last week after it approached a number of people in their gardens. The Danish Nature Agency, who were responsible for shooting the wolf, said that it did not appear to be shy or wary of humans.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the correct wolf was shot, as the agency is waiting for confirmation via a DNA test.
Back in 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency advised residents to avoid feeding wolves in order to prevent the animals forming attachments with humans. There is, however, no formal ban on doing so.
Danish vocabulary: den formodede problemulv – the suspected problem wolf
Record-high number of 'heart runners' registered to respond to heart attacks
A record-high number of people in Denmark – 61,540 to be precise – have registered as so-called hjerteløbere or 'heart runners', meaning that they will be alerted if someone goes into cardiac arrest nearby so they can provide assistance quickly.
That's according to TrygFonden, the organisation behind the scheme.
To put that number into context, it means that 1.3 percent of the Danish population aged 18 or over has registered.
"The more heart runners we get, the shorter the response time," doctor and researcher Victor Kjærulf from the capital region's emergency services told the Ritzau news wire.
"After just three to five minutes without blood supply, brain cells start to die. If ten minutes pass, it becomes uncertain as to whether the brain can be revived. So it's crucial to receive assistance quickly."
In the first half of 2026, the average response time for a heart runner was just three and a half minutes.
"An ambulance usually arrives after eight to nine minutes," Kjærulf said. "That's fast in an international context, but not fast when it comes to a cardiac arrest."
"If the person who discovers the cardiac arrest doesn't know how to do CPR and doesn't have a defibrillator, the chance for survival is very small by the time an ambulance has arrived."
Heart runners, despite the name, don't necessarily have to be quick on their feet to register.
"If you can take a defibrillator out of a locker and drive to the GPS position of the patient, then you've essentially met the basic criteria of what a heart runner needs to be able to do," Kjærulf said.
Danish vocabulary: hjerteløber – heart runner
New forecast: Danish economy performing better than expected
A new forecast predicts that the Danish economy is going to perform much better this year than previously expected, despite international instability, tariffs and higher oil prices.
According to the forecast, from Arbejderbevægelsens Erhvervsråd (AE), referred to in English as the Economic Council of the Labour Movement, also predicts that the Danish economy could continue to perform above expectations in coming years.
It cites the fact that employment is record-high, unemployment is still low, inflation is under control and that exports continue to perform well despite global instability. GDP is predicted to grow this year by 4.2 percent, continuing to grow for the next few years.
The Danish economy was previously thought to be doing worse than it actually is. In June, national statistics agency Statistics Denmark published a revision of the national accounts, adjusting growth for 2023-2025 upwards. This means that the economy came into 2026 stronger than previously thought.
Fredrik Olsen, analyst at AE, said that the pharmaceutical industry in particular is contributing towards growth in the Danish economy.
Danish vocabulary: bedre end forventet – better than expected
New survey of hedgehogs finds fewer than last year
This year's hedgehog survey, carried out by members of the public, found 16,884 hedgehogs (that includes both living and dead hedgehogs), compared to 21,374 last year.
The percentage of people who were unsuccessful in their search for hedgehogs was 16.7 percent this year, compared to 10.8 percent last year. Over a hundred people also added a comment in their survey saying that hedgehogs disappeared from their gardens during the summer.
Sophie Lund Rasmussen, hedgehog researcher at Denmark's Natural History Museum and Oxford University, said this could be due to this year's heatwaves.
"The number of people who report not seeing a hedgehog this year is significantly higher," she said. "At the same time, we've had hundreds of comments from Danes saying that the hedgehogs that are usually around in June and the beginning of July have disappeared."
She added that those wishing to help wild animals during heatwaves can put a bowl of water out in the garden.
Danish vocabulary: pindsvin – hedgehog
With reporting from Ritzau
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