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Ursula von der Leyen in 2017
Photo: PATRIK STOLLARZ / AFP
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen mourns one of her ponies after a suspected wolf attack.
"The whole family is terribly upset by the news," von der Leyen said, according to a statement about the attack.
According to her spokesman, it is the 30-year-old pony Dolly.
It was in the pasture with another pony, the other one is fine.
According to "Bild", von der Leyen's husband found the carcass "only about a hundred meters from the family home".
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The Lower Saxony Ministry of the Environment confirmed that there was a suspected wolf tear in Burgdorf on Friday night.
The dead animal was found on Friday in a paddock in the Beinhorn district of Hanover.
The bite pattern strongly suggests a wolf attack, a ministry spokesman said.
DNA testing should bring clarity
According to the ministry spokesman, the responsible Chamber of Agriculture in Lower Saxony has recorded the alleged crack.
Based on a DNA analysis, it should be clarified in the coming days whether it was an attack by a known wolf.
According to the latest figures from the ministry, there are 39 wolf packs and four resident solitary wolves – i.e. proven in a definable territory – in Lower Saxony.
That corresponds to about 350 wolves.
Recently, possible wolf sightings even made headlines in the city of Hanover.
Von der Leyen is an enthusiastic rider.
From a young age she presented dressage horses at sales auctions in Northern Germany.
In 2007 she rode at the International Riding Horse Festival in Verden, and in 2015 she helped open the European Riding Championships in Aachen.
flg/dpa
