Run over by police car: Wolf came from Saxony

The wolf that was run over on a highway near Walldorf (Rhine-Neckar district) was not one of the four sedentary specimens in Baden-Württemberg. The male originally came from eastern Saxony, according to the Ministry of the Environment.

Genetic analyses at the Senckenberg Center for Wildlife Genetics had revealed this. The animal was hit by a police vehicle on the A5 on March 8.

Traffic accidents are the most common cause of death

According to the Federal Documentation and Advisory Center on Wolves (DBBW), traffic accidents are the most common cause of death for animals in Germany. Young animals in particular travel long distances across the country in search of their own territory.

They also have to cross roads such as highways. Since 2000, 1,365 dead wolves have been registered, 1,022 of which died in accidents

Four wolves are regular guests in Baden-Württemberg

There are currently four resident wolves living in Baden-Württemberg, meaning they live permanently in a defined area and do not roam the country. Two of the "regulars" are at home in the northern Black Forest, one in the Murg and Enz valleys, the other around the Hornisgrinde.

Another wolf lives in the southern Black Forest, around Lake Schluchsee, while the youngest resident wolf roams the southwest. No sedentary wolves are known from the Rhine-Neckar district.

There are currently 35 confirmed wolf packs in Saxony.