Wolf visited gardens in Bautzen - now it has died

A wolf caused a stir in the district of Bautzen - now the animal is dead. The animal's badly decomposed carcass was found on September 30 during a monitoring operation in Elsterheide, according to the Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG). According to the report, the she-wolf died of natural causes.

According to the information, the 13-year-old she-wolf had been repeatedly seeking out residential buildings and gardens since the end of August. In reports received by the Wolf Unit at the State Environment Agency, the animal was described as sick and conspicuous-looking. The wolf was observed more intensively in the period that followed. By mid-September, the animal had been spotted 23 times.

The findings from the intensified monitoring indicated pronounced signs of ageing and mange, it was said. These limitations apparently led to the she-wolf searching for easily accessible food and sources of warmth such as compost heaps. The animal is one of the oldest wolves documented to date as part of the Saxon wolf monitoring program.