Todfind-Monitoring - 1000 wolves investigated: Balls in the flesh, Nutria in the stomach
Although Wolves are strictly protected species in Germany and cannot be hunted, people continue to shoot them illegally. A study of 1000 dead Wolves revealed that approximately one in ten had been illegally shot. The leading cause of death, however, were traffic accidents, according to the Leibniz-Institut for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in Berlin.
Since 2006, the Leibniz-IZW has nearly examined all dead Wolves found in Germany. The cause of death, health status, and stomach contents of the animals are investigated. However, due to the increasing number of reported dead Wolves, only about every second animal is now being brought into wildlife pathology.
Many Puppies
Recently, the 1000th dead Wolf lay on the dissection table of the experts. It was a she-wolf, carrying six puppies. This symbolizes the successful breeding of these animals, explains Heribert Hofer, Director of the Leibniz-IZW. Wolves have been born in Germany again for nearly a quarter of a century.
In the latest Wolf monitoring, more than 1339 Wolves were detected in Germany, distributed over almost all federal states, with strong concentrations in Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Lower Saxony. The dead Wolves were also found in various parts of Germany.
The dead she-wolf, the 1000th case, died in a traffic accident. "Our data show that about three quarters of the dead Wolves die in traffic collisions – most often with Cars on country roads or motorways," says the responsible pathologist Claudia Szentiks. Young wolves, which leave their parent pack and search for a new territory, are often victims of traffic accidents.
Many dead Wolves go unnoticed
Marie Neuwald, spokesperson for Wolves at the Nature Conservation Society NABU, notes that traffic is indeed a danger, but does not significantly reduce the Wolf population. There are indeed other causes of death, but they rarely appear in the mortality monitoring. "The Wolves that die from other causes such as diseases and fights with other Wolves are rarely found, as they do not lie down on a forest path to die," Neuwald explains.
Some Wolves, as shown by the Leibniz-IZW, die from intestinal ruptures, for example, from sharp bones in their food. Sometimes they were injured by potential prey animals, such as wild boars. "Wolves have no natural enemies in this country," Neuwald notes, "but there is no uncontrolled growth of the population, the Wolves are still exposed to risks and dangers."
Main food: Deer and Wild Boars
Analyses by the Senckenberg Museum for Natural History Görlitz (SMNG) have shown that Wolves mainly feed on Deer, Wild Boars, Roe Deer, and Red Deer. This makes up 90% of their food. In the stomach of the dead, pregnant she-wolf, however, a Nutria was found – a rodent from South America. This shows that Wolves have some flexibility in their diet, Hofer concludes.
Wolves also tear apart Sheep and Goats. These grazing animals made up only 1.6 percent of their food, according to Hofer. "In the wolf's prey spectrum, that's almost negligible, but for sheep farmers it's completely unnegligible." Sheep farmers needed to be taken seriously. "We must give them generous opportunities to protect their animals, for example with fences, and generously compensate them quickly and bureaucratically. That's important."
Nabu Expert Neuwald believes that better fences could help prevent wolf attacks significantly. Releasing wolves for hunting, however, is not a suitable solution. In fact, livestock are mostly alone on the pasture at night - wolves develop fear of humans with guns, which offers little protection for the sheep and goats at night.
Wolves in the Crosshairs
It is currently forbidden to intentionally disturb, trap, or kill wolves. However, every tenth reported carcass was illegally shot, according to Veterinary Pathologist Szentiks. "In fact, we even find evidence of poaching in 13.5 percent of all examined wolves, although not all of them die from it."
The number of legally killed wolves is much lower, for example, because they behave strangely around humans. "A total of 17 wolves were removed in the context of management measures by the federal states," according to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation regarding the entire period since 1990.
Intentionally killing a wolf is a crime in Germany and is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to five years. If the veterinarians find something during the examination in the CT scanner, they hand over the images and bullet fragments to the public prosecutor. However, there has been no conviction based on this knowledge, Hofer explains. "There are only a few specialized investigation units for environmental crime in Germany."
Even unintentional shooting of a wolf is punishable in Germany. Nabu representative Neuwald demands that authorities take wildlife protection more seriously - then investigative successes can be achieved.
Role of Wolves in the Ecosystem
"Why shouldn't wolves live here, they have a good food base and habitat, they have returned - why not?" Neuwald asks. In addition, they play an important role in the ecosystem because they control the populations of prey animals. "They go for the weak and sick animals and the young ones."
Hofer from the Leibniz-IZW also emphasizes that there are currently many Reindeer, Wild Boar, and Red Deer in Germany - thanks to game management. "The hunters have even created ideal conditions for the wolf." However, the situation is overall very complex. In many ways, farmers could benefit from the presence of wolves, for example, in relation to grouse, as wolves hunt the predators of these birds. On the other hand, wolves could locally decimate populations of wild boar. "One should listen carefully to farmers," Hofer advises.
- The illegal shooting of wolves continues to be a concern in Germany, with approximately one in ten dead wolves being found with gunshot wounds.
- The Leibniz-IZW in Berlin has been conducting investigations on dead wolves in Germany since 2006, but due to the increasing number of reported deaths, only about every second animal can be examined.
- In recent Wolf monitoring, high concentrations of wolves were found in federal states like Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Lower Saxony.
- The main source of death for wolves in Germany is traffic accidents, with young wolves leaving their parent pack and searching for a new territory being particularly vulnerable.
- The Nature Conservation Society NABU notes that although traffic is a danger, it does not significantly reduce the Wolf population, as many Wolves dying from other causes go unnoticed.
- The Leibniz-IZW has found that some wolves die from intestinal ruptures due to sharp bones in their food or injuries from potential prey animals, such as wild boars.
- NABU expert Marie Neuwald believes that better fences could help prevent wolf attacks on livestock, but releasing wolves for hunting is not a suitable solution.
- According to Hofer, wolves play an important role in the ecosystem by controlling populations of prey animals, which can benefit farmers in some cases, but also pose risks and challenges in others.
