Wolves sighted in the Ammertal - a photo shows two specimens
Created: 10/30/2022, 9:15 p.m
By: Josef Hornsteiner
At least two different specimens have been photographed by a wildlife camera in the Ammertal and thus verified.
Bad Kohlgrub - It's a small sensation.
In fact, wolves have been photographed in the Ammertal twice in a row - one photo even shows two wolves in one picture.
The State Office for the Environment confirms the evidence in its monitoring system that more than one wolf has roamed the Ammertal.
Wolves sighted in the Ammertal - a photo shows two specimens
Unpopular contemporaries: It has been proven that wolves were out and about in the Ammertal.
Here two specimens from a zoo in Lohberg.
SYMBOL © dpa
According to the authorities, the first photo was taken on September 10th in the area between the Ammertal and the Murnauer Moos.
A private hunter has installed a wildlife camera on a meadow.
He wants to remain anonymous and not make the picture available.
Even where exactly the photo was taken should not be made public.
"Too controversial, too emotional and often too irrational" was the topic of the wolf.
Wolves in Bavaria: "If it's a couple, there will soon be more anyway"
The second picture from September 23 was taken in the immediate vicinity of the first photo spot.
"It's rare for several animals to be photographed in one picture," says Anton Degele, chairman of Jagdgenossen Bad Kohlgrub.
The fact that wolves also roam through the Ammertal is less rare.
"If it's a couple, there will be more soon anyway," he fears.
Wolves carry their offspring for about ten weeks.
A litter consists of four to five puppies.
Whether it is a couple or a whole pack, the State Office for the Environment (LfU) does not want to draw any hasty conclusions, says a press spokesman.
Admittedly, photos are “hard facts”, as he explains.
Indications of wolves are evaluated according to the so-called SCALP criteria.
The pictures at the edge of the Ammertal are considered C1, i.e. proven.
These include live capture, dead find, genetic evidence or even image material.
C2, on the other hand, are "soft facts - confirmed", i.e. confirmed indications of an event such as a crack or a trace by an experienced person such as a hunter.
C3, on the other hand, are unconfirmed indications (“soft facts – unconfirmed”) that cannot be checked.
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Although the photos are in category C1, "it is extremely difficult and very rare to distinguish individual wolves in photos," says a LfU spokesman.
This only works if there are very distinctive identifying features, such as an unmistakable drawing.
"Such striking details are not recognizable in the present case due to the image quality of the wildlife photographs." A conclusion as to whether the images from September 10 and 23 are of the same individual "is therefore not possible on the basis of the photo evidence".
However, the spokesman adds that a wolf is considered to be loyal to the site "if it has been detected over a period of more than six months or if reproduction is documented" - i.e. if it has offspring.
However, based on the evidence available to date, this is not the case for the Ammertal/Murnauer Moos area.
Notes on the wolf
The State Office for the Environment (LfU) has introduced a monitoring system for large carnivores as part of its wildlife management.
All evidence and sightings are publicly accessible on a homepage.
There is also more information about wolves and bears in the region.
The data can be found at www.lfu.bayern.de/natur/wildtiermanagement_grosse_beutegreifer/Wolf.