When the fight against the wolf was almost won in the USA about a hundred years ago, a certain doggedness mixed in with the hunt for the last specimens.
The methods of killing had always been cold-blooded, wolves caught in traps were dragged behind galloping horses, killed or set on fire.
Poison baits were then added, which were distributed efficiently and in large numbers from airplanes.
The last wolves became enemies, some were given names that also showed respect for their toughness: Old Stubby, Three Toes and Old Lefty had escaped from traps or survived gunshot wounds.
Petra Ahne
Editor in the Feuilleton.
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The feeling of having to be defensive when dealing with wolves is also increasing in Germany with the number of animals living here.
The case of the wolf with the not very Western-suitable designation GW2425m has just shown that it may feel good for some people if the animals, which are actually strictly protected, are released for shooting, but that the implementation is such a thing.
While there were arguments in Bavaria about whether GW2425m could be shot, he was already dead. He was run over near Brno in the Czech Republic on January 17th - exactly the day on which the government of Upper Bavaria gave permission for his shooting down, which administrative court shortly thereafter deemed unlawful.
The animal died 360 kilometers as the crow flies from where it was found on March 19.
December was last seen, the Bavarian Marktschellenberg.
In the previous days, the wolf had killed sheep, goats and wild animals in the area several times and stayed near farms and villages.
The government of Upper Bavaria justified its special permit for shooting with the fact that the wolf represents a potential danger for the people in the region. The convened expert commission did not see this danger at the moment.
However, she considered that there was a "period of conditioning" in which the wolf learned that food is easier to come by when it's close to humans.
The government of Upper Bavaria justified its special permit for shooting with the fact that the wolf represents a potential danger for the people in the region. The convened expert commission did not see this danger at the moment.
However, she considered that there was a "period of conditioning" in which the wolf learned that food is easier to come by when it's close to humans.
The government of Upper Bavaria justified its special permit for shooting with the fact that the wolf represents a potential danger for the people in the region. The convened expert commission did not see this danger at the moment.
However, she considered that there was a "period of conditioning" in which the wolf learned that food is easier to come by when it's close to humans.
We now know that the wolf was passing through.
At the Senckenberg Institute, where the results of the DNA analyzes are collected, it is learned that he has covered 600 kilometers in just a few weeks: Austria, Bavaria, the Czech Republic.
Section results are pending, but it is likely that it was a young wolf looking for a mate and territory.
There will be cases in the future where killing a wolf is the right decision.
The idea of regulating the interaction with the weapon does not help in principle.
Protecting livestock must come before harm, with electrified fences and livestock guardian dogs.
Both are still too rare.
And human protection happens by itself if wolves are not trained to approach settlements, for example by laying out food.
The wilder the wolf, the less dangerous it is for humans.