Overview
- Lawmakers approved amendments adding the wolf to the Federal Hunting Act and revising the Nature Conservation Act, passing with votes from CDU/CSU, SPD and AfD, while Greens and the Left opposed.
- States could set a July 1–October 31 hunting season where a favorable conservation status is verified, authorize immediate removal of wolves after verified livestock attacks, and designate hard‑to‑protect areas such as alpine pastures or dikes.
- A Bundesrat vote is expected later in March, and states are preparing: Thuringia plans to adjust hunting times and draft a management plan, Brandenburg is developing a new plan, and proposals in Saxony target significant removals of juveniles.
- Official monitoring counts about 219 packs nationwide, with roughly 1,100 confirmed wolf incidents and around 4,300 killed or injured domestic animals in 2024; herd protection spending totaled about €23.4 million plus roughly €780,000 in compensation.
- Hunting and farm groups welcome faster removals and call for active population management, while NABU and WWF warn broad culls may disrupt packs and fail to reduce attacks; the species remains protected and preventive herd measures continue to be funded.