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Shepherds and environmentalists clash as 'rogue wolf' rampages through German forest

A European gray wolf (stock picture) - AFP
A European gray wolf (stock picture) - AFP

Shepherds and environmentalists have clashed over claims a “rogue wolf” is marauding through southern Germany

The "problem" animal is believed to have gone on a killing spree, after several sheep and a goat were found dead on Saturday in the Odenwald forest.

Locals had thought wolves were extinct in the forest, which extends over parts of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, and their possible return has caused distress and calls to hunt the animal.

"Many pet owners fear financial losses," Bernd Keller, chairman of the forest’s shepherds association, which has 120 members, told local paper the Frankfurter Neue Presse.

Mr Keller called for the wild animal to be hunted immediately. Meanwhile, Dietrich Kübler, a 67-year-old farmer and hunter, claims he and his wife watched the wolf catch a goat and a sheep.

"That a wolf dares so close to human dwellings, shows problematic behavior," he told local reporters. But the Hessian State Office for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology, along with other environmental groups, has called for calm.

A wolf at the Wolf Science Center (WSC) in Ernstbrunn, Austria - Credit: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images
A wolf at the Wolf Science Center (WSC) in Ernstbrunn, Austria Credit: JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images

They say there is no evidence there is a single “problem wolf” scouring the forest. Susanne Jokisch, a wolf commissioner and biologist from the Hessian State Office, pointed out that the paddocks animals were taken from were not properly secured - giving a predator easy access to prey.

Ms Jokisch said demands for a hunt are “unjustified and inappropriate”. As an endangered species, wolves are protected animals that fall under national and international species protection law.

As a result, killing them is strictly prohibited. But in recent months, farmers and activists have clashed over the management of wolves in Germany.

Farmers have demanded the right to hunt the animals, claiming they attack farms and kill sheep.

While environmentalists say electric fences or livestock dogs could be used to protect farmland instead. They also point out the animals are not a danger to people.

Wolves had been wiped out in Germany, but they crossed back over the border from neighbouring Poland in 2000, and their number has been growing steadily since.

Last month, new data from the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) said 60 packs now live across the country – which is 13 more than a year ago.