The land of the Brothers Grimm is once again home to wolves. A century and a half after hunters first wiped out Canis lupus, the species is again breeding in Germany's eastern hinterlands.
Wolves have returned to Germany's eastern frontier after a 150-year absence.
CREDIT: WORLD WIDE FUND FOR NATURE
Occasional wolves have been spotted in the region over the last 2 decades, usually after hunters or traffic killed them. But there have been no known permanent residents in Germany since the mid-1800s. Last year, however, Saxony foresters noticed a pair living in a wooded military training ground. And this summer those two were accompanied by four yearlings and two pups--apparently the first wolves born in Germany in over a century.
The secured zone is a "perfect habitat, with lots of prey" and few bothersome humans, says Frank Mörschel, a wildlife biologist with the World Wide Fund for Nature in Frankfurt am Main. He predicts that the pack's territory will expand. Already the wolves are roaming in an area twice the size of the training ground, says forestry official Rolf Röder.
All's well so far, but Mörschel warns wildlife officials to be ready in case the wolves start preying on local farm animals. With the tale of Little Red Riding Hood still fresh in the people's minds, he says, "public opinion can change quickly."
