Wolf Siegfried drowns in a pond in the Alte Fasanerie wildlife park in Hanau. The visitors have to watch the accident. Was the wolf sick? An expert comments on this.
- Tragedy in the wildlife park: Wolf Siegfried drowns in pond
- Wolf expert has no explanation for the animal's death
- The wolf is at home again in the wild
Hanau - The tragedy happened on January 12th of this year. Wolf Siegfried, only 8 years old, drowned in his enclosure in the Alte Fasanerie wildlife park . The wildlife park from Klein-Auheim, a district of Hanau (Main-Kinzig-Kreis), announced this on Monday (17.02.2020) to the press.
The tragedy happened before the eyes of the visitors. According to them, the wolf * was barely able to stay on his feet before drowning, and it was also visibly difficult for him to walk straight.
The visitors had to watch the staggering wolf slide down into a pond and drown there. The eyewitnesses immediately alerted the keepers of the wildlife park. But their help came too late, they could only save the European wolf.
Wolf drowns in pond: An expert has his say
The small game biologist Dr. Marion Ebel commented on the incident. The wolf specialist , who has been working in Hanau for over 25 years, said on Tuesday: "This is a very unusual accident". She also confirmed that Wolf Siegfried was both physically fit and completely healthy. He had recovered well from the bite attacks of the she-wolf Kreimhild last summer.
She cannot explain the sudden death of the animal. Nevertheless, she suspects that it could have been an epileptic seizure or a heart condition. In order to trace the cause of death from the wolf , the carcass was transferred to the Hessian State Laboratory in Wiesbaden. Here he is still being examined, no results are available yet.
Wolf dies in animal park: animal leaves a companion
The wolf Leyla, with whom the wolf Siegfried shared his enclosure, is to get a new territory in the next few days. She will share this with the three wolf dogs Tristan, Gunther and Richard.
Even though the mating season for the wolves begins at the end of February, no offspring are planned in the zoo in Hanau. The three males are therefore sterilized before the she-wolf moves to them. However, it is the ideal time for socialization.
Wolf Siegfried drowns in pond: The European wolf
The wolf Siegfried belonged to the subspecies of the European wolf. The wolves, also known as Eurasian, formally belong to the dog family. The animals, which weigh up to 50 kilograms, live up to 18 years in captivity.
In Germany, however, they have not only been found in zoos or wildlife parks since the end of the last century. In 2000, wolf pups were even born again in freedom. In 2016, it was assumed that around 40 pairs or packs of wolves in the Federal Republic.
#Wolf sighted in #North Hesse. When meeting, stay calm, keep your distance, secure herd fences. https://t.co/B7vCIhklim Photo: Walter Betke pic.twitter.com/rXUwVZTVvT
- Ministry of Environment Hessen (@UmweltHessen) May 2, 2017Wolf in the Wildpark Alte Fasanerie
In addition to the European wolf, polar wolves can also be admired in the Alte Fasanerie wildlife park since 2006. In addition to the wolves, the main focus of the wildlife park is on wild animals that also occur in German forests.
Such as deer or wild boar. Since 2004 there has also been a falconry on the Hanau site. The golden eagle Attila, who has been the mascot of the soccer club Eintracht Frankfurt since 2006, also lives there. In addition to the animals in the enclosures, wild animals such as the gray heron have also settled in the 107-hectare park.
At these times you can marvel at the wolf
The game park of the State of Hesse is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the winter months, from November 1 to February 28, except for Wednesday. On Wednesdays from 10 a.m. The last entry is always one hour before the park closes.
In the summer months, from March 1st to October 31st, the park is open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Again, the last admission is one hour before closing.
Except for Monday, visitors can also watch the wolf feeding every day. The exact wolf feeding times as well as the other animals as well as admission prices and other information can be found on the website of the Hessen Forest.
The wolf in Hessen
Environmental associations think it's good that the wolf is becoming more and more at home in Germany, and also in Hesse. Grazing owners, on the other hand, see the development with a somewhat more critical view.
In early February, for example, a rare calf was torn in Rotenburg. That it was a wolf attack is not unlikely, but is still checked by a DNA test. At an information event in Eschwege, livestock farmers from Saxony reported on their experiences with the wolf. The animal has been at home here for 20 years. The event should serve to exchange experiences.
Video: The wolf returns to Germany
Can you see a wolf in this video? Many users of Facebook have been asking this since 02/17/2020. The one here went viral.
By Lucas Maier
* hna.de is part of the Germany-wide Ippen-Digital editors network.