After An Almost 150-Year Absence, The Wolf Population In Germany Is Thriving And Threatening To Spiral Out Of Control

Even though Europe has few unspoiled land areas compared to the United States, wild animal populations, especially wolves, are making a comeback across the continent. The large carnivores are thriving in the unprotected areas of countries like Germany, where they may coexist close to humans.

German sheep farmer Frank Neumann learned about the resurgence of wolves in his country firsthand when he found 27 of his flock gutted one morning. As the Global Post reported, a World Wildlife Fund wolf expert said that wolves are thriving in Germany, and in five years, they could be in every district of the country. Neumann, who bought six Pyrenean mountain dogs to protect his flock of 250 sheep, is upset that no one told him about the wolves.

“Officially, there weren’t supposed to be any here. I was pretty angry because no one had warned us.”

The gray wolf is making a comeback across Europe, not only Germany. However, the lack of infrastructure to deal with wildlife in the country could be one of the contributing factors to why they are thriving. Initially, it was thought that the wolf populations were living in abandoned rural areas of the former East Germany. However, they are also living near wind-energy projects, along nature trails that are heavily hiked, and even near the city of Berlin.

Unlike the United States, which has the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Germany has no such agency. Its 16 individual districts are left to come up with their own ways to deal with conservation problems. This often means that poorly trained volunteers are left to do research and monitoring of problems like the increasing wolf population.

The Christian Science Monitor has reported that more than 12,000 wolves have been found in Europe among 10 populations. They also state that other carnivores are thriving as well, such as the lynx, brown bear and wolverines. The problem with the wolves in Germany is so bad that some farmers claim that their sheep are not breeding out of fear.

A recent incident on the Autobahn is also being blamed on wolves. Several horses broke loose from their paddock and ran onto the B-6, causing a large accident. Seven horses were found dead on the highway, and two people were seriously injured and taken to the hospital, according to a report by Der Spiegel.

Wolves are also making a comeback in the U.S., and both ranchers and farmers are asking for the hunting ban on wolves to be lifted in order to protect their livestock. However, as the Inquisitr reported, the federal courts in some states say that wolves still need to be protected as an endangered species.

Another problem inhibiting controlling the wolf population in Germany is that farmers get paid by the government for their livestock losses, even though the money arrives slowly. In addition, the EU pays farmers to rotate their livestock to different pastures, which makes it difficult to use electric fencing to ward off wolves as fences would have to be continuously moved.

As wolves move into the more urban areas of Germany, the country will have to find a way to control them or risk human lives instead of just sheep or other livestock.

[Image by Corbis]