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Wolf kills in Saxony: 108 dead farm animals in the first quarter

Dresden 11. May 2026 05:02 Uhr 3 Min
Wolf kills in Saxony: 108 dead farm animals in the first quarter
Saxony is one of the federal states with the most wolves after Brandenburg and Lower Saxony. (Symbolic image) / Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa
From: DieSachsen News
Time and again, sheep in particular are prey for wolves. How many livestock kills were counted in the first few months of the year.

In the first three months of this year, a similar number of farm animals were killed by wolves in Saxony as in the same period last year. The damage statistics of the Wolf Unit at the State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology counted 108 dead animals in the first quarter. From January to March 2025, 112 sheep, goats and other animals were killed by wolves.

Of the 48 cases of damage reported so far, 37 have been attributed to wolves with "sufficient certainty". These included some cases with a large number of animals killed.

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Attacks with many dead animals

In February, 17 sheep were fatally attacked in Neißeaue in the district of Görlitz and two other animals were injured. In January, nine animals fell victim to the wolf in an enclosure for fallow deer in Doberschau-Gaußig (Bautzen district). In March, nine sheep died after a wolf attack in Arzberg in northern Saxony. Three other animals were injured and one sheep has been missing since the attack.

In the whole of 2025, 161 wolf attacks were reported, in which 431 animals were killed.

Some owners met the minimum requirements for the protection of their animals, others did not. For sheep and goats, electric fences must be at least 90 centimetres high and have a voltage of 2,000 volts. Fixed fences must be at least 120 centimeters high. Compliance with the minimum protection is a prerequisite for livestock owners to be compensated after wolf attacks.

Most wolf attacks in the fall

According to statistics, most wolf attacks occur in the fall, especially in September and October. During this time, the wolf pups are around three months old and have an increased need for food.

Of the grazing animals, sheep are the most common prey for wolves. Occasionally, cattle and goats are also killed. In addition, wolves repeatedly climb over the fences of game reserves and cause damage there. Last year, a cat was also documented to have fallen victim to a wolf.

According to data from the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Saxony is one of the most wolf-rich federal states after Brandenburg and Lower Saxony. According to the latest monitoring, 219 wolf packs live in Germany, most of them in Brandenburg and Lower Saxony with 54 each and 35 in Saxony. There are also 43 pairs of wolves and 14 sedentary individual animals across the country.

Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved

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Projekt Saxony Today : Mehrsprachigkeit von regionalen Nachrichten für in Sachsen lebende Menschen ohne deutsche Muttersprache. Projekt wird gefördert durch die Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien. Diese Maßnahme wird mitfinanziert durch Steuermittel auf Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes.
Projekt Saxony Today : Mehrsprachigkeit von regionalen Nachrichten für in Sachsen lebende Menschen ohne deutsche Muttersprache. Projekt wird gefördert durch die Sächsische Landesanstalt für privaten Rundfunk und neue Medien. Diese Maßnahme wird mitfinanziert durch Steuermittel auf Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes.