Wolf in hunting law? Saxony calls for rapid implementation

Saxony's Ministry of Agriculture wants to facilitate the shooting of wolves due to damage to grazing animals and is pushing for the wolf to be included in hunting law. However, the federal government must first create the conditions for this, it said in response to an inquiry.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture generally supports the possibility of hunting wolves in problem areas. Accordingly, the plan of Minister Alois Rainer (CSU) is based on three pillars: "Quickly remove problem wolves, manage wolf populations and hunt wolves where they become a danger."

Wolf protection status must be downgraded

After the protection status of the wolf has been downgraded from strictly protected to protected, national regulations for better protection of grazing animals can be introduced, as agreed by the coalition, according to the Federal Ministry. To this end, the wolf is to be included in hunting law and the legally secure removal - i.e. killing - of wolves is to be implemented in the Federal Nature Conservation Act.

For years, the population of wolves in Saxony - and thus also the number of grazing animals killed - had been on the rise. Recently, however, both the number of packs and damage reports have declined. According to the Wolf Unit at the State Office for the Environment, Geology and Agriculture, 361 cases with 1,380 damaged livestock were reported in 2023. This year, there were 98 cases with 260 damaged livestock by mid-August.

Wolf attacks increase in fall and winter

The state farmers' association expects an increase in wolf attacks in fall and winter. This is due to the increased food requirements of the pups born in spring. The association is calling for the rapid removal of problem wolves if they have repeatedly overcome protective measures such as electric fences.

In contrast, the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Sachsen (BUND) does not believe that including wolves in the hunting law and thus facilitating the killing of the animals is a sustainable solution. "We fear the increased shooting of wolves without actually improving the situation of livestock farmers," emphasized Felix Ekardt, head of BUND Saxony. He is calling for improved protection measures for livestock farmers.