The population of wolves in Saxony has stabilized. There are currently 35 packs, ten pairs of wolves and a single female wolf, according to the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology. Since 2021/2022, the population has fluctuated between 40 and 50 wolf territories. The current results would confirm this trend. A wolf territory refers to an area claimed by a pack or a pair of wolves.
Most of Saxony's wolves live in Lusatia
According to the authority, most territories are still located in Upper Lusatia. Here, 27 packs, five pairs and the "lone wolf" have been identified. Outside of Lusatia, there has been a stable occurrence in North Saxony for several years with currently five packs and one wolf pair.
A wolf pair without offspring was detected in the Dresdner Heide and one pack each in the districts of Meißen and Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge as well as in the Erzgebirgskreis.
Two wolves killed illegally
"East of Leipzig, the two new wolf pairs 'Lossatal' and 'Tresenwald' (Leipzig district) were confirmed, as well as the new wolf pair 'Muldenhammer' in the Vogtland district," it said. In 34 packs, offspring could be detected, a total of at least 111 pups.
17 wolves were found dead during the 2024/2025 monitoring year. "In two cases it was an illegal killing, in one case the cause of death was natural or unclear and in 13 cases the wolves died as a result of a traffic accident."
Saxony has been monitoring wolves since 2001
Saxony has been monitoring wolves since 2001 in order to monitor the size and development of the wolf population. It is carried out on behalf of the state office by the Senckenberg Museum of Natural History in Görlitz and the Lupus Institute for Wolf Monitoring and Research in Germany. Forestry workers and volunteers are providing support. Information from the public is also included.
The monitoring year is not identical to the calendar year, but is based on the biological "wolf year" - from the birth of the pups to the end of their first year of life. Thus, 2024/2025 covered the period from 1 May 2024 to 30 April 2025.
Federal number of wolf territories stagnates
On Wednesday, the Federal Documentation and Advisory Agency reported that the number of wolf territories in Germany had stagnated for the first time since recolonization began 25 years ago. Nationwide, 276 territories were confirmed: 219 wolf packs, 43 wolf pairs and 14 territorial individuals. Most wolf territories were found in Lower Saxony (63) and Brandenburg (60), followed by Saxony (46), Saxony-Anhalt (38) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (34).
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