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Wolf pup (archive photo): In Baden-Württemberg, the only known offspring has been killed by wolves
Photo: Lück/ dpa
The only known wolf pup in Baden-Württemberg has been hit by a car at the Schluchsee in the southern Black Forest and died. With this, the Southwest also loses its first wolf pack.
"Judging by external characteristics, the wolf is the male puppy of the Schluchsee pack, GW3699m," said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Environment in Stuttgart on request. According to police, the animal had been hit on Monday evening on the federal highway 500. The carcass is now being examined by experts, according to the ministry.
First offspring in 150 years
The puppy had only been detected at the end of July 2023 by a photo trap of the Forest Research Institute. It was the first wolf offspring in about 150 years in the southwest. Since 1866, the wolf was considered extinct in the region of today's Baden-Württemberg. So far, Baden-Württemberg has only been a transit state for wolves: only a few animals stay for a long time, the vast majority of them are male. According to SWR, the first wolf had been detected in the country in 2015, the animal came from Switzerland.
The parents of the killed puppy – in technical terms: the male GW1129m and the female 2407f – are also at risk. They are said to be responsible for the deaths of two cattle. If wolves kill livestock even though livestock protection measures have been taken, they can be released for shooting.
Last year, more than 4000,<> livestock were killed or injured in wolf attacks nationwide. Nevertheless, there is great support for the return of the predator to Germany. According to a survey conducted by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research on behalf of the daily newspapers in the southwest, one in two people welcomes the reintroduction in Baden-Württemberg. According to the survey, only one in five is against it. At the same time, there are political efforts to make it easier to shoot the animals.
tmk/dpa