Brandenburg's wolves: Quota hunt for 330 animals is coming!

Brandenburg's wolves: Quota hunt for 330 animals is coming!

Things are boiling in Brandenburg: the discussion about wolves is heated, and the state government is planning to allow a quota hunt for the animals this year. While wolves are strictly protected in Germany, the government now wants to introduce a shooting quota of up to 330 wolves per year due to repeated attacks on farm animals. The wolf population in Brandenburg is currently estimated to consist of between 1,000 and 1,600 animals, spread over 52 packs, as tagesschau.de reports.

After the president of the state hunting association even called for an annual shooting quota of 500 wolves, which is considered unrealistic, the Ministry of the Environment recommends a starting quota of 15%. However, depending on developments, this could be increased to up to 35%. An increased shooting rate is intended to prevent the animals from increasingly attacking farm animals, which has happened again and again in the recent past. In 2024, 279 incidents were reported in which wolves could not be ruled out as the cause, and 1,047 farm animals were injured or killed, as the [State Office for the Environment](https://lfu.brandenburg.de/lfu/de/fragen/natur/tiere-und-pflanzen/saeugetiere/woelfe-in-brandenburg/ Schadensmanagement/nutztierrisse/) shows.

The effects of wolf attacks

The record of attacks on grazing animals is alarming: sheep and goats in particular suffered from the attacks; almost 944 animals were decimated by wolves in 209 cases. Data from recent years show that the number of attacks on grazing animals varied from 2007 to 2024, with a peak in 2021 (377 cases). However, there has been a decline since 2022, so the situation should be viewed in a differentiated manner.

Another aspect is the protection of grazing animals. Of the 162 affected cases in 2024, 58% of the animals were not protected by wolf-repellent measures. Here, promotion and awareness-raising for herd protection measures by the country could offer a future and lead to fewer conflicts. Promoting fences and livestock guard dogs is already on the table.

Criticism of the quota hunt

The Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) is critical of the planned quota hunt and warns against illegal taking of wild animals. Instead, they argue for better protection of pastures and support the idea of ​​“carcass hunting,” which aims to keep wolves away from sheep by leaving killed animals lying around and guarding them for 48 hours in order to make the food supply more attractive to the wolves.

The situation is also becoming interesting internationally: an incident in the Netherlands, where a wolf injured a child, is causing people to sit up and take notice. The wolf named GW3237m, which had already become conspicuous before, is suspected here. Such international incidents mean that the issue of wolves and how to deal with them is increasingly coming into focus, including in Germany, where there is a concept for dealing with conspicuous wolves that recommends early intervention to avoid similar incidents, as dbb-wolf.de reports.

In view of the complex facts and the different interests, it is clear: The wolf will give us a few more discussions. It remains to be seen whether the hunt for quotas will actually bring about the hoped-for relaxation or lead to further tensions. One thing is certain – there is something going on, and farmers and conservationists will continue to stand together to defend their positions.