Criticism of illegal wolf shots: Minister emphasizes importance of reasonable herd protection measures

Criticism of illegal wolf shots: Minister emphasizes importance of reasonable herd protection measures

Saxony-Anhalt Environment Minister Willingmann criticizes illegal wolf shots: "Solve no problems"

Saxony-Anhalt Environment Minister Armin Willingmann (SPD) critically commented on the new figures on illegal wolf castings. In an interview with the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung (Friday edition), he emphasized that the illegal killing of a strictly protected wolf is not only a criminal offense, but also offers no protection for sheep or deer. In fact, other wolves usually take over the area after a shooting.

Willingmann emphasized that the best protection against cracks is not in vigilante justice, but rather in appropriate herd protection measures. Thanks to such protective measures, the number of wolf attacks on farm animals has recently dropped significantly despite a moderately increasing wolf population. This shows that a conflict -free coexistence with wolves is not only desirable from a nature conservation law, but also possible, according to the minister. In addition, according to Willingmann, illegal kills hinder effective wolf management and do not solve any problems, but only create new ones.

According to the Leibnitz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, about every tenth wolf in Germany was shot illegally. The data has been based on more than 1,000 wolfskadavians nationwide since 2006. A total of 121 dead wolves were examined in Saxony-Anhalt, 13 of which were illegally killed-this also corresponds to about a tenth.