As of: February 12, 2024, 3:59 p.m
By: Charlotte Borst
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Stroking a sheep that survived: Michael Riesenberger's partner Patricia Hermann with their son Andreas.
©MSC
After two of their sheep were killed, a farming family from Großhelferdorf is worried.
Was it a wolf?
Experts do not rule out a predator attack.
Großhelferdorf – How seriously should you take the suspected case in the Ayinger district of Großhelferdorf?
In the night from Thursday to Friday, two sheep belonging to the Riesenberger farming family were killed.
Michael Riesenberger found her dead in the pasture on Friday morning.
“Both were killed by throat bites,” says the 38-year-old.
There are many indications that a wolf or a hybrid wolf attacked five sheep.
Just like the farmer, the community and the district office are still waiting for the results of the genetic samples taken from the carcasses.
“The involvement of a large wild predator cannot currently be ruled out,” said a spokesman for the Bavarian State Office for Environmental Protection (LfU).
On Saturday, the Riesenbergers brought the three carcasses to the LfU in Oberschleißheim.
In addition to the two dead sheep, another mountain sheep was so badly injured in the throat that Michael Riesenberger rescued it in consultation with the veterinarian.
Two other sheep escaped with bite wounds to their throats.
“A dog doesn’t do things like that.”
An official from the LfU confirmed the throat bites, reports the farmer: “We were told that up to five carcasses are delivered per week, from sheep or goats from Bavaria.” At the LfU, wolf tears and evidence of wolves from all over Bavaria are reported and checked .
On the same day, the LfU sent a member of the “Large Predator” network to Großhelferdorf, who secured samples for further genetic testing.
The expert and also the hunter documented paw traces, reports Riesenberger: “The paw print on the pasture was ten centimeters long and nine centimeters wide.” It is also typical that the traces ran “in a dead straight line”.
This points to a wolfdog or a wolf: “The fact that all animals were only attacked by throat bites does not speak for a dog.”
After the attack, the animal began to feed on the mountain sheep.
“It wanted to get to the internal organs of its prey, a dog doesn’t do that.”
13 ewes continue to graze
The Riesenbergers' farm is located on Rosenheimer Straße at the outskirts of Großhelferdorf, just before the district border.
Do walkers in this region now have to be more careful?
“Yes,” says Michael Riesenberger, especially in the evening.
“It is time for citizens to be clearly informed.
A part of our population wants to protect the wolf.
But then you should be fair and say that he is now in the Munich district.” Riesenberger keeps cows and calves in addition to 20 sheep.
“Whatever I can lock up, I’ve locked up in the stable.”
The Riesenbergers found deep paw prints in the pasture.
Do they come from a wolf?
© Private
A flock of 13 ewes remains out on pasture.
“Here we run the risk of it happening again.
But if I catch the pregnant sheep and lock them up, that's too much stress, which then shows up during lambing." The pasture is on the edge of the forest, fenced in by a 1.80 meter knotted mesh.
Nevertheless, the Riesenbergers expect the monster to come back: “He can jump from a tree at the edge of the forest to the shelter in the pasture.” There’s nothing he can do about that.
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“Wolf avoids man”
The LfU sent the samples to the Senckenberg Institute in Gelnhausen.
“The average evaluation time for a sample is around ten working days,” says an LfU spokesman.
Depending on the order situation, it could be quicker.
Since 2010, all genetic studies on wolves and lynxes have been carried out nationwide in the Senckenberg laboratory.
When asked whether walkers and animal owners should be afraid, the LfU spokesman replied: “The wolf is naturally cautious and avoids people.
In individual cases, young animals in particular can be inexperienced and curious towards humans.
However, this does not pose a threat to humans. Since the renewed presence of wolves in Germany, there have been no attacks on humans by wolves.”
Wolf population: You can see wolf occurrences on the federal government's advisory page on wolves (DBBW).
Further news from Aying and the Munich district can be found here.