“It is the first such case since wolves were reintroduced in 1998,” a spokesperson for Germany’s Federal Agency for Nature Conservation said.
Germany’s native wolf population was essentially driven to extinction during the 19th century, but the predators have made a dramatic comeback following their reintroduction in the late 1990s. More than 200 packs have been recorded in the country in recent years, matching a larger resurgence across Europe. More than 21,500 wolves are believed to be roaming the continent at present, a 58 percent increase compared to the population recorded a decade ago.
Wolves are typically shy and avoid people, making attacks extremely rare. But as their packs have resettled across an increasingly urbanized continent, the carnivores come into greater contact with human settlements. Even though the predators have steered clear of humans until now, there are plenty of reports of attacks on livestock and other animals.
One notable victim was European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s prized pony, Dolly, that was killed by a gray wolf in Germany in 2022. In the aftermath of the incident, the Commission chief pushed for the EU to downgrade wolves’ protected status to allow for more culling.
At the national level, Germany, France and Austria have also moved to loosen conservation rules. But the EU’s top court in Luxembourg has issued rulings warning member countries that the relaxation of hunting rules for wolves cannot come at the expense of the carnivore’s long-term conservation.