Young wolf shows no fear of humans

There can be no talk of a bad wolf here: a young wolf has called the authorities in Saxony onto the scene due to conspicuous behavior. "The pup approaches people at short distances, is curious, follows walkers over long distances and shows requests to play by making small jumps or taking objects into its mouth," announced the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology. No aggressive behavior towards humans has been observed so far.

Wolves usually react to humans with caution

According to the state office, reports of encounters with the young wolf had recently increased in the southern district of Görlitz between Herrnhut, Oberseifersdorf and Schlegel. It is a male wolf pup that is in the territory of the Großhennersdorf pack, according to the authorities. The behavior is very unusual for a wolf that has grown up in the wild. "Wolves react to humans with caution and avoid encounters or withdraw from them."

Pup probably has no bad experiences with humans

For the experts, the pup's behavior is not yet clear. However, it is suspected that he may have had positive experiences with people. "The instinctive caution of wolves towards humans can be lost if, for example, the animals are deliberately fed over a longer period of time or find food sources such as compost, slaughterhouse waste or cat food in human proximity," they said. Playful luring can also arouse interest, especially in pups, and reduce the escape distance.

Trusy wolf to be scared off

The authorities now feel compelled to act. Following an increase in reports of encounters, monitoring in the area has been stepped up, they said. Wolf management staff are active on site to fit the animal with a transmitter collar if possible and to initiate measures to deter the animal. This should help the animal to regain its fear of humans. Signs have also been put up to inform walkers about the trusting puppy.

"It is important that this undesirable behavior does not become more entrenched or is stopped as quickly as possible," the state office said. Residents and walkers have been called upon to avoid all possible sources of food for the young wolf and not to attract it. In the event of an encounter, people should shout or scream loudly, throw stones and chase the pup away. At the same time, people were asked to report any sightings quickly in order to get an up-to-date picture of the situation.

In a similar case in spring this year, the problem solved itself. At that time, a young wolf in Saxony had also shown signs of proximity. Monitoring was then activated and the wolf disappeared.

Wolf population in Saxony stable

According to current findings, the wolf population in Saxony has stabilized. There are currently 35 packs, ten pairs of wolves and a single female wolf, the state office recently announced. Since 2021/2022, the population has fluctuated between 40 and 50 wolf territories. A wolf territory refers to an area claimed by a pack or a pair of wolves. Most of Saxony's wolves live in Lusatia. Here, 27 packs, five pairs and the "lone wolf" have been identified.