The Bund Naturschutz (BN) clearly rejects the demand from Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU) for the Traunstein Wolf to be shot down quickly. “We cannot see any dangerous behavior here,” says BN wolf expert Uwe Friedel.
The wolf killed several wild and farm animals in the Upper Bavarian region of Traunstein in mid-December. Now Kaniber demands the shooting of the wolf and speaks of a threat to public safety. The statement that the wolf has lost its shyness and is therefore a danger to people is not tenable from the BN’s point of view. The wolf went near the settlement because he found food there in the form of unprotected goats and sheep. In all cases, the wolf showed no interest in people. On the contrary, if the animal had only contact with a human being, the predator fled immediately.
The BN expert can refer to official experts for his assessment. The expert commission of the State Office for the Environment (LfU), which is responsible for wolf management in Bavaria, recently came to the conclusion that “no immediate danger to human life and health” can be inferred from previous incidents with the predator. However, when looking at the events as a whole, it is noticeable that the wolf is evidently looking for proximity to settlements, according to the minutes of a meeting of the panel of experts on the cracks. The reason for this could be “the more easily accessible food supply” there – that is, the livestock on the pastures near the farms. Should the wolf maintain its behavior, the expert commission does not want to rule out “that there will be a risk to humans in the future”.
“In none of the previous cracks was there a proper herd protection.”
For the BN, such a potential hazard, which can also only arise in the future, is not sufficient as a reason for the rapid shooting of the animal. From the point of view of the nature conservation association, alternatives must first be examined. Protective measures for livestock in the region could be improved, for example through wolf-repellent fences by keeping sheep and goats in the stables at night or using herd guard dogs. “There was no proper herd protection in any of the previous cracks,” says Friedel. The BN announced a lawsuit against a possible shooting decision.
Agriculture Minister Kaniber, on the other hand, is convinced that the wolf meets all the requirements for a removal, as the shooting is called in official German. “I hope that the environmental administration, specifically the government of Upper Bavaria, will make a quick and clear decision on the present withdrawal request,” she says. “This is especially true with a view to the threat to public safety and order from the wolf. You can’t just wait and see.” The Traunstein District Administrator Siegfried Walch (CSU) had already submitted the application for shooting in mid-November. The decision of the government of Upper Bavaria is expected in these days.