The Greens' Federal Environment Minister apparently rejects a shooting permit for wolves in Germany. Now at least the wolf population is to be recorded.
Munich/Bonn - The wolf is going around: In the debate about a possible shooting of the animals, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (The Greens) has pointed out the protection of wolves.
Wolves in Germany: Sheep, cattle and ponies are being torn more and more frequently
"If we expect countries with a different level of prosperity than Germany to protect elephants, tigers, other predators that cause relevant damage there," one should also fulfill one's own responsibility to protect this one predator, she said this Friday (12 May) at the end of the Conference of Environment Ministers (UMK) of the federal states in Königswinter near Bonn.
In recent months, more and more cases of sheep, cattle and ponies torn by wolves have become known throughout Germany, for example from Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate or Lower Saxony. In the neighbouring Netherlands, a wolf is said to have recently even chased a racing cyclist.
Wolves: Their population in Germany has apparently been increasing significantly for years. © IMAGO/Martin Wagner
In the context of the summit, the Rhenish Agricultural Association (RLV) had called for a rally in the small town of North Rhine-Westphalia on the topic of "Wolf policy: Change now!". The association, with its approximately 15,000 members between the Ruhr area, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn and Aachen, specifically calls for the "removal" of wolves, ergo permission to shoot the animals.
Wolves in Germany: Farmers call for control of wolf populations
At the demonstration in question, RLV representatives handed over a list of demands to North Rhine-Westphalia's Environment Minister Oliver Krischer (The Greens) in which they demanded stronger control of wolf populations. However, concrete decisions on wolf policy were not made at the two-day conference on the Siebengebirge, according to dpa. Until the next UMK in autumn in Münster, there should be at least an inventory of the current wolf population in Germany, it was said from Königswinter.
At the end of February alone, 39 animals fell victim to the Schermbeck wolf pack as a result of a single wolf attack in Dinslaken.
Rhenish Agricultural Association (RLV) on its website
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The resentment among farmers is great: The RLV writes on its website of "torn open highly pregnant sheep" and "emergency killed animals". The association's website continues: "At the end of February alone, 39 animals fell victim to the Schermbeck wolf pack as a result of a single wolf attack in Dinslaken. The herd was secured with a recommended protective fence of 1.10 m height, and a livestock protection consultation had also taken place. In the past, protective fences have been overcome in the Schermbeck wolf area and even ponies have been attacked and killed."
Wolves in Germany: 161 wolf packs between Lower Saxony and Bavaria
According to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BFN), a total of 2021 registered wolves were detected throughout Germany between April 2022 and April 1175. In the same monitoring year, 161 wolf packs were also confirmed in the Federal Republic of Germany, according to the BFN information. The population grew significantly compared to 2018/19 (105), 2019/20 (128) and 2020/21 (158). Most wolf packs were registered in Brandenburg (47), followed by Lower Saxony (34).
In the meantime, the state of Bavaria has reacted strictly. According to a recent decision by the state government, the tear of a farm animal will be sufficient in the Free State in the future to be allowed to shoot wolves. As Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announced at the end of April, there is no longer a need for a DNA report. (pm)
