Strasbourg, France: A commission charged with the protection of wildlife in Europe on Tuesday approved lowering the wolf's protection status from "strictly protected" to "protected", the Council of Europe said.

Representatives of the 49 member states of the Bern Convention voted in favour of a European Union proposal submitted at the end of September seeking to better protect livestock.

Grey wolves were virtually exterminated in Europe a century ago, but their numbers have pratically doubled to the current population of 20,300, triggering howls of protest from farmers angered at livestock losses.

Demoting wolves to a "protected" species would allow hunting to resume under strict regulation, a move activists fear could result in a large number of the species being shot dead.

"The change will enter in force in three months," the commission said, unless at least a third of its members object.

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