Wolf commissioner warns: "A wolf needs about 70 adult deer for food every year"

Created: 12/15/2022, 12:00 p.m

The rush of visitors at an information event on the topic of "wolf" in Bernbeuren was large.

The speaker showed a "clear edge" and warned of a further spread of the large predator.

© Star Media/Imago

The rush of visitors at an information event on the topic of "wolf" in Bernbeuren was large.

The speaker showed a "clear edge" and warned of a further spread of the large predator.

Bernbeuern – The farmers' association local groups from Bernbeuren and Stötten had planned the date for a long time.

However, the recently confirmed wolf kill in the immediate vicinity of a residential building in Böbing made the topic unexpectedly topical and attracted 130 visitors.

The organizers wanted to pass on current information on the topic of "wolf" and had invited the AVA wolf officer Barbara Oswald from Geigers/Wald as a speaker.

(The local newspapers in the Weilheim-Schongau district are represented on Instagram under “merkur_wm_sog”.)

Wolf commissioner: Difficult tension between predator protection and livestock husbandry

The 37-year-old farmer and hunter shed light on the difficult area of ​​tension between predator protection and livestock husbandry.

“A wolf needs about 70 adult deer for food each year.

A pack inhabits territories of between 100 and 350 square kilometers.

With the current still lush density of game, we would therefore have room for 14 packs in the Ostallgäu," she said.

This theoretical calculation caused a number of concerns among the numerous hunters present.

However, Oswald saw the greater danger in the threat to grazing cattle on the farms and in the mountains.

In particular, the unique plant world that was created and preserved through alpine farming could be endangered by the spread of the wolf population and an associated decline in grazing.

"Let's protect alpine farming and not just a single animal," she demanded.

Speaker Barbara Oswald reported on the subject of wolves in front of the many visitors in the Bernbeur Auerberghalle.

© endrass

With the help of pictures that showed animal tears from the past few years, she illustrated the existing danger.

Oswald emphasized that the official sampling and recognition of animal cracks can only be carried out by the crack expert from the State Office for the Environment and the subsequent DNA analysis can only be carried out by the Senckenberg Institute for Wild Animal Genetics.

In recent years, there has been an accumulation of evidence that has been assigned to the fox.

Oswald explained the difficulty of extracting usable genetic material from the carcass when followers such as foxes or dogs were already on the dead animal.

"Foxes used to just nibble on a carcass - today, amazingly, they manage to hollow out a whole calf overnight." That's why she recommended affected animal owners to take a parallel sample for a fee.

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Due to high protection status: wolf population has increased massively

Due to the high protection status of the wolf, the population has increased massively in recent years.

Oswald reported around 13,000 livestock injuries in France alone in 2021 and raised concerns that not only the damage to livestock, but also the psychological stress on the affected livestock owners and farming families can be very high.

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The speaker mentioned that a large area along the Bavarian Alps was recently classified as "unacceptably protectable" and that there is a certain relief for the animal keepers there.

If they are willing to take protective measures (fences, livestock guard dogs or protective stalls) for their stocks, there is a subsidy for this, but this has recently been capped.

From the discussions and statements in the hall, it became clear that the erection of so-called wolf-repellent fences could hardly be implemented in practice for livestock keepers and also meant a major cut in the habitat of all native wild animals.

Oswald showed several pictures of fallen game that got caught in such fences and died in agony as a result.

Weilheim-Schongau's BBV district chairman Wolfgang Scholz suggested forging an "alliance for the protection of farm animals" due to the current mood.

Because if the threat to the animals on the alpine pastures and Alps continues to increase, a further impairment of biodiversity can also be expected.

"We won't be able to get rid of the wolf," said Scholz.

That is why it is important to integrate the population and environmental organizations in decision-making processes and to work out common goals.

In conclusion, Oswald even pleaded for the speedy inclusion of wolves in hunting rights in order to curb population growth in good time.

BY MARK ENDRASS

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