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The Tale of the Wolf – Burgenlandkreis Region UninterestingIn ancient times, people were warned about the big grey Isegrim. And every child can retell the story of Little Red Riding Hood or the seven poor little goats who were eaten by the wicked wolf. 
Historical Context and the Return of the WolfIn the past, the wolf belonged to our country, lived in the forests, hunted roe and wild boar, and thus contributed to forest management. Only rarely did the wolf follow humans into settlements or attack livestock. Farmers of old knew how to deal with this: they brought their sheep, cows, and horses into barns and compensated wandering shepherds if animals were taken by wolves.Nevertheless, the wolf was heavily hunted. The last wolf was shot in Germany in 1835, and its existence became merely a legend. Since the year 2000, the wolf has been reclaiming its habitat in Germany. But no one told the wolf that humans had not been idle during those 165 years. Cities and villages have expanded, industries have been established, pastures and agricultural areas enlarged, and forests reduced across much of Germany. This has limited the wolf’s natural habitat. Impact of Agriculture on the WolfChanges in crop rotation and the increased cultivation of corn help boost the population of wild boars. These ideally, along with deer, form the wolf’s main food source. Only when these become scarce does the grey predator settle for fallow and red deer and, in rare cases, attack domestic animals.Panel Discussion "Focus on the Wolf"But let’s start from the beginning: On August 8th, CDU state parliament member Elke Simon-Kuch, representing the Weißenfels, Teuchern, and Lützen district, hosted a panel discussion titled “Focus on the Wolf.” The speakers, moderated by Simon-Kuch, included Alexander Räuscher, the CDU's spokesperson on wolf policy in the Saxony-Anhalt parliament; Dr. Ekkehard Wallbaum, Ministerial Advisor for Nature Conservation, Water Management, Science, Energy, Climate Protection, and the Environment; and Michael Unger from the Wolf Competence Center Iden (WZI) of the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Environmental Protection.Diverging Perspectives on the Wolf IssueIt quickly became clear that there are two camps regarding the wolf, which has now also settled in Saxony-Anhalt. The pro-wolf faction is led by the Wolf Competence Center Iden. This center, funded by the State Office for Environmental Protection, follows four core principles advocating for the wolf's natural resettlement through professional support. Public outreach to improve the wolf’s image, documentation and regular reporting of wolf reproduction and spread, submission of significant data to the EU, and support for herd protection are its main tasks.Unger explained that the monitoring records data on distribution and population size. These reports are submitted to the EU every four years (according to §11 of the FFH Directive). It includes mapping of active pack territories and search areas for lone wolves, using camera traps, scat samples, DNA evidence, and reports from farmers, hikers, or hunters. Additionally, passive monitoring is conducted across the country—reports are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated. The wolf is assessed across three territorial regions. In the maritime region (Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg, Hamburg, Bremen), the wolf’s spread differs from that in the alpine or, relevant to our area, the continental region. In Saxony-Anhalt, we have a Central European lowland population, also found in Saxony and Brandenburg. The 27 packs, 5 pairs, and three lone wolves are mostly located in northern Saxony-Anhalt or the Harz. The Burgenlandkreis region is uninteresting to the animals, and “due to the wolves’ large roaming ranges, sightings also occur outside known habitats. Particularly interesting in the 2022/23 monitoring year were sightings northeast of Halle/Saale and in southern Saxony-Anhalt near Zeitz. These were isolated sightings, some supported by C1 photo or video evidence, and two carcasses—presumably of wandering subadult wolves—found on the A14 near Löbejün and the B100 near Hohenthurm. Both finds indicate that wolves regularly attempt to cross the Halle-Leipzig metropolitan area on their travels.” Herd Protection and Preventive MeasuresHere, the main focus for the region must be herd protection. The aim is to advise farmers on wolf-proof herd security and provide emergency kits (fences, electric fences, and energizers) after sightings. Training in fence construction and funding programs for horse and cattle breeders have been introduced. There is funding for electric fences and energizers available to full-time breeders of sheep, cattle, horses, donkeys, fallow deer, llamas, and alpacas. Maintenance costs for guard dogs are also subsidized.When assessing livestock kills, Saxony-Anhalt also considers whether a herd had at least minimal protection against wolves.
Current Challenges and Political DiscussionIn March 2023, a wolf attack killing three sheep was confirmed in Elsteraue in the Burgenlandkreis. It is believed to have been a wandering young wolf in search of its own territory, indicated by the fact that it was a one-time attack—something territorial wolves usually repeat.Since 2000, there has been a human-initiated lynx reintroduction program in the Harz. By 2021, the lynx had re-established itself successfully without human intervention. Wolves had previously avoided the Harz, but two packs have now been repeatedly sighted. How the lynx and wolf will coexist remains to be seen. In the early years, litters of up to 8 pups were observed, though only 3–4 were usually raised. Now, at most four are raised per year. There is an annual growth of about 75 wolves in Saxony-Anhalt. The second speaker, Alexander Räuscher, noted: Saxony-Anhalt covers 20,600 km². For every 1,000 km², there are 12 wolves. In Canada, there are 5 wolves per 1,000 km², in Sweden just 1. These differences result from two factors: Canada is a natural habitat with population regulation through natural means—food availability and territorial factors. In these countries, wolves are also hunted. In Sweden, for instance, one-third of the population is culled each year. With 12 wolves per 1,000 km², Saxony-Anhalt has an overpopulation that could "come back to bite us long term." About half of the wolves are infected with mange, public acceptance is declining, and reports of attacks are rising—urgent action is needed. Future Outlook and Political ActionIt is clear that decisions must be made on when “enough is enough.” Current reviews are too infrequent. The political agenda must include incorporating wolves into hunting law to enable effective population management. The protection status of wolves must be downgraded. Twenty-six other EU countries support this move. In the EU's FFH directives, the wolf must be moved from Annex IV to Annex V to make it huntable in Germany and reduce populations to a manageable 1 wolf per 1,000 km². Only then could “trustworthy coexistence with the wolf” be achieved.When asked how this 1 wolf per 1,000 km² goal should be realized, Räuscher said that no one wanted to completely dissolve established packs. As a hunter, he valued wildlife protection, but wolf-free zones could be created—for example, to protect nearly extinct wild sheep (mouflons). Densely populated areas could also be kept wolf-free, and habitats established on military training grounds. Wallbaum interjected that it is also important to avoid inbreeding in isolated populations. The EU criteria are currently well met, but the population isn’t yet secure. He rejected "snap solutions," saying they sound like “wild shooting sprees,” which aren’t acceptable even with territorial differences. Sightings in Burgenlandkreis are only of migrating young wolves headed from Saxony to Lower Saxony. The conservation status in the continental region is good, but not so good that population control is necessary. There is “no need to significantly or at all reduce the wolf population for herd protection.” However, excluding hobby keepers from compensation is an issue that should be addressed. Räuscher considered this insufficient and pressed further. Population control must be coordinated across state and national borders. When asked whether hybrids between wolves and domestic dogs are accounted for, Unger replied that if hybrids can be identified, they are removed from nature (i.e., shot). But it is uncertain whether all hybrids can be identified. Monitoring figures are only as accurate as the data from scat, DNA, sightings, and camera traps. Any wolf that evades detection remains uncounted—the same goes for hybrids. Not every hybrid is easy to recognize; it recently took two years to identify and shoot one. Final Thoughts and OutlookThe Federal Hunting Association has already submitted its revised wolf management guidelines to the Ministry of Nature Conservation. Currently, hunters are not allowed to euthanize even injured wolves—that is a task for the police. Only if the police refuse can a hunter or forester act, in coordination with the WZI. But this is not a trophy that hunters seek. As Räuscher, a hunter himself, put it: “You can at least eat a deer, but a wolf just has to be disposed of—and there's tons of paperwork. It’s not something hunters enjoy.”Mr. Löber from the Cattle Alliance expressed the demand—emphatically not as a wish—of many cattle, sheep, and horse breeders: the wolf population must finally be regulated. “The pressure is building.” The wolf is no longer on the “Red List of Threatened Species.” This fact must finally be taken seriously by the Federal Ministry for Nature and Environment. In 2023, between €15,000 and €30,000 in compensation was paid for confirmed wolf attacks in Saxony-Anhalt. Preventive measures cost the state €400,000 last year. In the next two years, the nationwide cost of prevention measures will reach €200 million. One wolf costs €10,200 annually in material and personnel costs. Roe and red deer are considered harmful to forestry, as forests are to be restructured. Their culling is easily permitted if hunting seasons are observed. Every hunter knows this, as one must pass the “green high school diploma” to get a hunting license in Germany. The wolf, however, which is becoming a real pest in the cultural landscape, exists in a legal vacuum. Wolves are becoming increasingly fearless of humans, having learned that humans pose no danger. Wild boars avoid humans because they’ve learned that a shot may ring out at any time and a member of the herd might vanish. Wolves lack this awareness. As long as every wolf killing is considered illegal and a criminal offense that costs hunters their license and comes with a hefty fine, no regulation can take place. Asked about the trend, Wallbaum replied that there are currently about 240 wolves, and the maximum will likely level off at around 400 animals. However, this might be wishful thinking—without regulation, reliable population limits cannot be ensured. The wolf, as a cultural follower that is increasingly becoming a problem, must be managed with a strict population cap. The myths embedded in old fairytales about the wolf didn’t just come from nowhere. Unger again emphasized that wolves are shy of humans and that sightings are usually of young, inexperienced wolves. However, a farmer interjected: "The experiences of recent years are quite different. Perhaps a child must first be attacked before we wake up—and then the outcry will be huge." The tale of Little Red Riding Hood may not be so far from reality anymore. In many places across Germany, the little goats are already becoming prey for the big grey one. It remains to be seen how this controversial issue develops. Please report ALL wolf sightings: Report wolf sightings with a sharp photo and GPS coordinates Report Wolf Sighting Report signs of wolves Report Wolf Evidence Emergency number: +49 162 3133949 Sources: 1. Current Wolf Monitoring Annual Report 2. Summary of Wolf Populations 3. Rare Animals – Monitoring Year 2022/23 Author: AI-Translation - Nadja Laue | 09.08.2024 |
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