For him, the wolf has no place in the paradise of the alpine pastures: retired pastor Georg Gilgenrainer wants wolf-free areas - and demands bonuses from politicians for killed wolves.
Rohrdorf - The wolf in the mountains, a creature that polarizes after several cracks from farm animals.
Now the former pastor of Höhenmoos (Rohrdorf municipality), Georg Gilgenrainer, has opened another chapter in the conflict between advocates of wolf and alpine farmers.
In an open letter to Prime Minister Markus Söder *, State Parliament President Ilse Aigner and Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber (all CSU), the clergyman, who also grew up as a hunter and grew up on an alpine pasture, openly addresses the nature conservation association and speaks of an almost religious worship of wolves.
Gilgenrainer demands the identification of "wolf-free areas", hunters should receive a bonus for every wolf they kill, as is already the case with wild boars.
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The retired pastor sees the entire alpine culture at risk because of the wolf settlement: “It is of no use to replace cunning animals.” No farmer keeps cattle here when there is a threat of wolves. Alpine pastures that are no longer cultivated lose their character. The needs and worries of the alpine farmers are not taken seriously enough. The proclaimed wolf protective fences have a cynical effect on Gilgenrainers: "It is easier to build a suspension bridge to the moon than for all the alpine pastures to be fenced in to be wolf-proof."
For Uwe Friedel, wolf expert at the Bund Naturschutz, protective fences remain one of the solutions in herd protection.
No chain link fences are used, but 90 centimeter high mesh fences or wire fences that are live.
“Projects in the Pyrenees and Romanians show that this works.” Friedel also sees the challenges for farmers that fencing brings with it, if only because of the topography.
The fences must be deep enough so that the predator does not slip through below.
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Retired pastor Georg Gilgenrainer worries about alpine farming in Bavaria - because of the wolf.
© Hötzelsperger / dpa
Wolves in Bavaria: hunters vs. animal rights activists - "In technical terms, shooting is not a solution"
But the subject of wolf * must be debated objectively. “What else won't help us in the discussion.” Friedel shows understanding for the needs of the alpine farmers. “But what good is it if five or ten wolves are shot in an area and then others immigrate again. From a technical point of view, shooting is not a solution. ”In addition, this is not even possible due to the legal situation. The wolf is strictly protected; shooting it down would be a criminal offense, even if there is an effort to “change this protection”.
The retired pastor, however, who campaigns for the alpine farmers, emphasizes in his letter: The protection paragraph for the wolf must go.
It was with great relief that the alpine farmers began shooting the last wolf in Bavaria in 1882.
After that they could have grazed their pastures day and night.
“The wolf admirers are in the process of destroying the alpine farming that has grown over the centuries,” writes Pastor Georg Gilgenrainer.
Wolves are observed more and more frequently in Bavaria.
There is hardly any danger for humans - but it is for farm animals.
The state parliament dealt with the subject in May.
* Merkur.de is part of IPPEN.DIGITAL