Bavaria: Wolf Ordinance meets with conflicting response – Bavaria

The new Bavarian wolf ordinance, which is intended to make it easier to kill invading wolves, has met with conflicting response from the district administrators. “Of course we think it’s right not to put the protection of animals of any kind above the protection of people and their belongings, especially if these animals can be dangerous,” said the Fürstenfeldbruck district administrator and chairman of the Bavarian district council, Thomas Karmasin (CSU) on Thursday at the annual meeting of his organization, which this time took place in Cham, Upper Palatinate. “And it is also fundamentally correct that the decision on how to deal with such animals is made locally.”

On the other hand, according to Karmasin, the district administrators are “not enthusiastic” that Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) has given them and their authorities the decision to shoot any wolves. “Because this is not only a difficult task, but also one that brings trouble,” said Karmasin. He did not want to comment on the regulation itself. “We’ll see if it lasts and proves itself,” he said.

Meanwhile, preparations for the new wolf management are in full swing, especially in the districts along the Alps. “We get reports of suspected cases and traces of hunters, farmers and other people who are out and about a lot almost every day,” said Miesbach district administrator Olaf von Löwis (also CSU). “Our employees are up to their necks in their work.” According to Löwis, the district offices in the mountainous districts are striving for close cooperation both with each other and with the State Office for the Environment and other authorities that were previously responsible for wolf management in Bavaria.

The Bavarian Wolf Ordinance has been in effect since May 1st. According to her, the lower nature conservation authorities at the district offices are now responsible for the management of conspicuous wolves. In the future, they should be able to be shot down as soon as they repeatedly come too close to settlements and farmsteads or have torn a livestock. However, lawsuits against the regulation are expected.

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