Overview
- The Environment Ministry said it will not extend the exception allowing a kill beyond March 10, ending professional hunters’ operations for now.
- Authorities had justified the authorization by citing the wolf’s repeated close approaches to people with dogs and more than 180 reported sightings since early 2024.
- Two courts upheld the permit against lawsuits from conservationists, yet hunters were unable to locate or shoot the animal during the approved window.
- The ministry reported fewer sightings in February and tasked the state research institute FVA with developing non-lethal deterrence concepts ahead of future seasons.
- A Bundestag-backed change to federal hunting law that would ease removals still awaits Bundesrat approval, and management responsibilities could shift to the state Agriculture Ministry.