In Brandenburg, a wolf has been specifically released for shooting. The animal in the Teltow-Fläming region learned to overcome protective fences and repeatedly tore sheep in a flock, said the spokesman for the State Office for the Environment (LfU), Thomas Frey, in Potsdam. In comparison to the rest of Germany, most wolves live in Brandenburg. Experts are no longer expecting a large increase in the population, the number of wolf packs has stagnated since 2019/2020, as it was said.
In the Oder-Spree district, a wolf hybrid – a mixture between a wolf and a dog – is to be killed with offspring, as the State Office for the Environment announced on request. According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act, these animals in the wild should be “removed” as quickly as possible (paragraph 45a: “Dealing with wolves”).
In Brandenburg, the possibility of shooting down wolves after a particularly large number of attacks on herds and livestock has recently been expanded. However, wolf expert Eckhard Fuhr does not expect a large number of animals to be shot. This is not about regulating the wolf population, there is no legal basis for that, said Fuhr, who is also deputy chairman of the Brandenburg-Berlin Ecological Hunting Association. According to the State Office for the Environment, the so-called harmful wolf in Teltow-Fläming was identified with the help of genetically examined samples that were taken in all crack incidents.
According to the amended wolf ordinance in Brandenburg, there is, among other things, the possibility of ordering the shooting if a wolf has killed significantly more grazing animals in its territory over a period of at least six months than the average of the kills in the other wolf areas of the state in the same period is equivalent to. Cases of dead cattle and horses have also been included in the ordinance if the herd cannot be protected.
Wolves are protected, and dealing with the animals has been a controversial subject for a long time. Among other things, there is the requirement for a fixed shooting quota. However, the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment rejects this.
The Nature Conservation Union in Brandenburg advocates the possibility in Brandenburg to act quickly in certain cases and to shoot individual wolves with a special permit. In practice, it’s not that easy, said wolf expert Fuhr, who also wrote a book about wolves. “Because wolves are terribly clever.” The animals would notice if, for example, the hunter’s car was parked nearby instead of the shepherd’s car. The permission to shoot is also valid for a certain period of time and a precisely defined area.
In the observation year 2021/2022, a total of 47 packs and 14 pairs of wolves were counted in Brandenburg. The number has stagnated at a stable level since the wolf year 2019/20, said the spokesman for the environment office. Likewise, the number of puppies born each year seems to be leveling off. In addition, there are only a few suitable areas for the settlement of a new pack, especially in the north of Brandenburg.
In previous years, illegal wolf killings had occurred again and again, which had led to criminal investigations. Some animals were also run over.
