Wolves in Germany: How public sentiment has flipped

According to police, around 3,000 livestock farmers and hunters gathered in the town of Aurich in the East Frisian region of Lower Saxony on June 10. The farmers say that current legislation means they are unable to protect their herds from attacks by wolves.

Farmers in the northwestern coastal region say their livelihoods are under threat from the growing wolf population, with attacks on sheep, goats, horses and other animals on the rise.

The latest statistics from the Federal Documentation and Advice Center for Wolves (DBBW) show that the number of attacks has steadily risen over the last two decades to just under 3,500 in 2021 — with wolves responsible for killing just under 1,000 farm animals.

Wolves were extinct in Germany for nearly a century until, post-German reunification, they began to migrate across the border from Poland. The German Farmers' Association estimates that the total number of wolves nationwide may rise to 2,700 in 2023.

The return of wolves to Germany has long been a source of contention between livestock farmers and environmentalists. There are strict laws governing the conservation of wolves and individual animals be can only be shot under exceptional circumstances.

Hunters and farmers are calling for wolf pack-free zones along the coast due to the threat they pose to so-called "dike sheep." On the North Sea coast of Germany, a network of dikes helps protect the area from the sea and floods. The sheep that graze on the dikes help to compact the ground with their hooves.

Wolves are polarizing German society: Some people would rather shoot them, others want to keep them safe at any cost. How we see wolves is influenced by literature and art — where the "big bad wolf" has frightened people in Germany for many centuries.