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It is not true that breeders in Germany can kill wolves.

Wednesday 06 October 2021

Wednesday 06 October 2021

In recent weeks, some newspapers and some blogs have stated that "from 2020 in Germany, breeders who suffer wolf attacks against their animals are allowed to shoot" with a clear invitation to extend this method to our country, bringing back the management of the wolf in Germany as "an example to follow" to "stop the uncontrolled proliferation of the wolf" and "defend the breeders".

We therefore decided to investigate the German question, intrigued but highly doubtful that this was the method applied.
To clarify our ideas, we went directly beyond the Alps and found a valid interlocutor in Sven Erlacher, biologist of the Chemnitz Museum of Natural History and project manager Wolf Westsachsen on wolf monitoring in West Saxony.

From the references collected it was very easy to understand how to date, in Germany, the wolf is still a particularly protected species and how its management is subject to strict state, regional and community laws: any abatement can be carried out by way of derogation from these laws only with particular parameters, like many European countries, including Italy, where, however, to date, no exceptions for the killing of wolves have never been authorized.

To better understand the legislative profile, in Germany on March 13, 2020 a new provision entered into force inserted by the second law amending the federal law on the Protection of Nature and which clearly specifies how it is possible to request the possibility of killing a specific wolf where it is is responsible for repeated killing of farmed animals.

However, there is an important factor to underline: these killing can be requested and authorized only where sufficient preventive measures have been put in place to protect livestock.

It is therefore important to clarify that the possibility of requesting the killing of wolves is in no way a method to protect their animals that are not adequately guarded, rather it is a rare and exceptional act, to be used in particular cases and only for specific individuals held directly responsible for a particular damage.

It is also important to specify that no breeder is allowed to shoot to wolves but that killing can only be carried out by specialized and authorized personnel.

In conclusion, therefore, to date in Germany it is not possible for any breeder to kill wolves and the legislative details to request a derogation from this protection status are very similar to what is already happening in a large part of the European community.
For all clarifications here the law (in German)

Featured photo by Stefano Manfredini