Overview
- The Bundesrat, which approved the change Friday, added the wolf to federal hunting law under strict conditions to protect grazing livestock.
- Regular hunting can occur only where agencies judge the population stable and after they adopt a cross-district management plan, with a set season from July 1 to October 31.
- Authorities may order immediate removal after confirmed livestock attacks without waiting for permits, and states can name hard-to-protect areas like alpine pastures and dikes where shooting is allowed.
- State governments must now adapt their hunting and conservation laws and draft regional plans, with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern withholding consent and warning of likely court challenges and delays.
- Farm and hunting groups urge fast rollout as monitoring logged about 1,100 incidents and roughly 4,300 animals killed or hurt in 2024, while conservation groups argue only stronger fencing and guard dogs will cut losses; a recent DNA case in Lower Saxony tied a local pack to multiple sheep kills, underscoring local strain.