Dead Wolf at Rietschen: Wolfsland shocked traffic accident!

Dead Wolf at Rietschen: Wolfsland shocked traffic accident!

In the picturesque region around Rietschen, which is often referred to as the “Wolfsland”, a current incident causes a stir. A wolf found was discovered near the popular wolf cycle path, which extends over about 40 kilometers and is peppered with 18 information boards on the subject of wolf. The “Wolfsscheune” is also located directly on this cycle path, in which an exhibition on the European Grauwolf can be seen. In addition, the environmental education center Wolf offers interesting activities such as wolf track search and education in order to increase awareness of these fascinating animals. But the find of the wolf raises serious questions.

On June 6th of this year, the wolf died in a traffic accident, the circumstances of which are still unclear. This did not move the municipal administration and the deputy mayor Torsten Lorenscheit to inform the public about it. The wolf was a male animal at the age of few years, and it remains to be seen whether it belongs to the Daubitzer Rudel II, which lives mainly in the eastern part of the Upper Lusatia military training area. A genetic evaluation is pending and the doubts about his descent are great. The fact that the wolf did not wear a collar transmitter and was therefore not one of the sender animals is particularly worrying. This is another alarming sign, because eleven wolves have died in Saxony since 2023, with most of the deaths in the districts of Görlitz and Bautzen.

increasing numbers of illegal wolf killings

The topic of the wolf killings is becoming more and more explosive - not only through traffic accidents, but also through an alarming increase in illegal killings. According to the current reports of dbb-wolf , the number of illegally killed wolves in Saxony has doubled in the current monitoring period. So far, four cases have been registered in 2023 alone, two of them in the Görlitz district. There is a suspicion that the number of unreported cases could be higher because many killings appear as a random find. However, traffic accidents remain the main cause for the Wolfstod, with a total of 156 documented cases in the past 25 years.

As part of the investigation, the State Criminal Police Office has already initiated measures to counteract the illegal re -enactment of wolves. Notes on dog owners, their animals on a leash and keep on call are also part of the reconnaissance campaign. Together with an increased awareness of the consideration of the wildlife, this could help prevent the next tragedies.

regulation and protection status of the wolves

Not only the illegal killings are in focus. The protection status of the wolves itself has recently changed. As Wolfschutz-deutschland , the protection status of the Wolf was downgraded in the Bernese convention of "strictly protected". This decision enables states to enact more flexible regulations, including relieved kills, as long as a "favorable state of maintenance" is guaranteed. In Germany, the wolf remains protected by the Fauna-Flora-Habitat guideline (FFH guideline), but the pressure increases, and there are already complaints against this downgrading. The need is emphasized that independent monitoring measures and investments in herd protection instead of promoting bones.

Overall, the incident in Rietschen shows how complex the situation around the wolves in Saxony is. It remains to be seen which measures are taken to ensure the protection of these animals and at the same time to reconcile the coexistence with the population. The wolf as a symbol of the return of the wilderness is undoubtedly an enrichment of our nature, but how long can we rely on the harmonious coexistence with it?