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German Federal States — News — Emergencies — Hesse — Environment — Wolf — Brandenburg — State Office — Nature — Animals — Nature conservation — doberlug-kirchhain — wolf attack — Potsdam

No wolf attack on man in Elbe-Elster district

A man is seriously injured by an animal while out walking. A vague suspicion quickly makes the rounds: could it have been a wolf? Experts come to a clear conclusion.

,   and  Yaroslav Smith
2 min read

According to the State Office for the Environment - No wolf attack on man in Elbe-Elster district

According to laboratory analyses, a walker near Doberlug-Kirchhain (Elbe-Elster district) was not attacked by a wolf but by a dog. The Senckenberg Center for Wildlife Genetics in Hesse proved this by examining genetic samples, the State Office for the Environment announced on Wednesday. "The attacking animal was clearly a domestic dog. The involvement of a wolf has been ruled out."

A 47-year-old man was walking his dog in the forest several days ago. A strange animal had attacked his dog. When the man intervened, he was bitten several times and seriously injured. The question arose as to whether it could have been a wolf attack.

In order to clarify the situation, genetic samples had already been taken from the injured man in the intensive care unit of Finsterwalde Hospital, the State Environment Agency announced. Genetic traces of another dog were found in all the samples examined.

Genetic material from the injured man's dog was also compared. "These are clearly two different individuals," the authority said. However, it was not possible to determine the breed of the foreign hand. The walker himself had also always spoken of an attacking dog in the police report, it said.

The Center for Wildlife Genetics is the national reference center for genetic studies on wolves and lynx in Germany. Its investigations are intended to provide information about the wolf population. Around 5000 DNA analyses are carried out there every year.

Read also:

  1. Despite the wolf population increase in Brandenburg, no recorded emergencies involving attacks on humans by wolves have been reported to the State Office for Nature Conservation and Animal Welfare in Potsdam.
  2. The Hesse-based Senckenberg Center for Wildlife Genetics, known for its expertise in wolf and lynx studies, has reported that a wolf was not involved in an alleged attack near Doberlug-Kirchhain, as initially feared.
  3. Animal rights activists and nature conservationists in Brandenburg are calling for increased education about coexisting with wolves, as the number of sightings and close encounters with these wild animals in the region's forests continues to rise.
  4. The State Office for Environment and Health in Brandenburg pointed out that there have been numerous instances of large dogs, such as Dobermans, attacking smaller animals and even humans in the region, with Brandenburg having a notable population of Doberman Pinschers.
  5. Following the misidentification of the animal involved in the incident near Doberlug-Kirchhain, authorities in Hesse and Brandenburg have reiterated the importance of understanding local wildlife, particularly in areas with rich forest environments and diverse animal populations.
  6. As the wolf population in Germany grows and spreads across more regions, the State Office for Nature Conservation and Animal Welfare in Potsdam is working closely with local wildlife officials in Brandenburg to monitor wolf behavior and promote human-wolf coexistence, ensuring that both animals and humans can thrive in shared habitats.

Source: www.stern.de

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