Found food for the wolf: Two sheep on the pasture in the area. © Andreas Mayr
The first 400 sheep have been found on the Kramer plateau in Garmisch. On Saturday, 6 May, the farmers' association and "Aktiervisten" want to take to the streets with a demonstration each.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Here we go. This weekend, the first 400 sheep will be herded onto the Kramer plateau in Garmisch. So far, this has been a rather neglected action. But things look different this year in the sign of the wolf return. While the shepherds bring the farm animals to their spring pasture around the war memorial chapel, two camps are mobilizing in Garmisch-Partenkirchen's pedestrian zone this Saturday. On the one hand, there are the members of the "Aktiervisten Oberland" at Richard-Strauss-Platz. On the other hand, the Bavarian Farmers' Association at Bischoffeck, who want to protect their livestock from the predators.
Animal rights activists: "We are against hatred and agitation"
The "Aktiervisten" are an association of animal rights activists and animal rights activists. For some time now, they have been drawing attention to themselves with campaigns. In January, for example, they protested at the Herzogstand against the shooting of the chamois. They are pro-wolf and want to advertise and raise awareness of the strictly protected predator with an information booth and a diagram. "We don't want people to be afraid of him, so away from the 'fairy tale of the bad wolf'," says Sylvia Arlette Greif, head of the animal welfare department of the Bavarian state association of the Left Party.
She wants to achieve peaceful co-existence. "We can already see the problems of alpine farmers," she says. But according to Greif, there must be the will to take livestock protection measures. "We are against the hatred and incitement that is currently being carried out." About 20 participants have registered for the rally at Richard-Strauss-Platz.
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Farmers' association and Green politician: wolf fences are deadly for countless wild animals
On the other side is the Bavarian Farmers' Association at Bischoffeck, which will also set up an information booth with around 50 registered participants. Among others, District Administrator Anton Speer (Free Voters), Mayor Elisabeth Koch (CSU) and District Chairman Klaus Solleder will speak. "We want to make it clear what effects the wolf has on alpine farming," says Solleder.
The protective measures for the herd with fences with a prescribed height of 90 to 140 centimeters are "not only pointless, as the wolf easily jumps over them". They are even dangerous for biodiversity: "Wolf-proof fences can become a deadly danger to all wild animals," says Solleder. The current of at least 4000 volts means death for hedgehogs, frogs or squirrels.
47 alpine pastures would have to be protected with a 1000 meter long fence - impossible
A statement that was also made by the third district administrator, Tessy Lödermann (The Greens/Alliance 90). On Thursday evening, their district association invited to the online dialogue "The wolf and its place in agriculture" with Green politicians such as Christian Hierneis, member of the state parliament, and Sepp Grasegger, chairman of the Bavarian Sheep Farmers' Association from Partenkirchen. "These fences are death traps. What animals we had to get out of there, which died miserably," warns Lödermann. In order to protect the 47 alpine pastures in the district, "we would need 1000 kilometers of fence". This is "pure madness." Especially since there are already too many fences anyway.
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In general, Lödermann is in a quandary. She finds the carnivore fascinating, but "putting one species above all others is not right." Especially since alpine farming is responsible for a biodiversity of 40,000 animals and plants. That's why she also pleads for a professional shooting, "before poison baits are laid out or any laymen kill wolves illegally".
Benedikt Egner, board member of the Werdenfels breeders, is worried about the alpine summer. "Protection dogs don't do much good for us." They would need a homogeneous herd of at least 100 sheep, with which he would live for at least a year before socializing with them. "And most sheep farmers only have five to 20 sheep farmers."
The two demos
will start this Saturday, May 6, 2023, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen at 11 a.m. each day. The Bavarian Farmers' Association will provide information at its stand at Bischoffeck until 17 p.m. The animal rights activists "Aktiervisten" until 16 p.m. at Richard-Strauss-Platz.
You can find even more up-to-date news from the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen on Merkur.de/Garmisch-Partenkirchen.