There could soon be packs of wolves in Carinthia again. The wolf commissioner of the state of Carinthia, Roman Kirnbauer, assumes this. “Last year, two female wolves were first sighted, if they stay there, offspring are likely to emerge,” he said in an interview. According to the expert, at least eleven animals currently live on Carinthian soil.
In 2021, a total of eleven different animals from three different regions were registered. One problem with the immigration of wolves is that, according to Kirnbauer, they have lost their fear of humans. Most of the predators came to us from Italy, two are from the Dinaric population and one migrated from the Polish-German border area.
There are currently at least eleven animals
The eleven animals are the minimum, there could be more. Kirnbauer in an interview with the APA: “We can only prove something if there are tracks, ie if the wolf has torn up a prey animal.” The districts of Spittal an der Drau and Hermagor were the most affected, but there were also some sightings in the area east of the country.
Three wolves have been recorded so far this year and there are also video recordings of a pair, one of the reasons why an increase is expected. “You can see that in the wolves in Italy and the Balkans, which breed diligently,” Kirnbauer says. In the summer months, when the cattle are on pasture, the wolf officer expects more incidents. Last summer there was a tear in phases almost every day.
There are currently four launch permits
In Carinthia, four wolf shooting permits are currently in force: the one in Stall im Mölltal has been extended and another one has been added since (yesterday) Monday for Sachsenburg. In addition, there are two in the municipalities of Reißeck and Greifenburg (all in the district of Spittal an der Drau). When asked whether the shooting licenses issued by state politicians were a tried and true means of solving the problem, Kirnbauer said, “Nobody has a tried and true remedy.”
The wolf is at the top of the food chain and the lack of fear of humans makes it more difficult. He couldn’t answer whether the Alpine farmers would react by not breeding their animals anymore. There is currently hardly any reliable information about this, some farmers have already announced this step, but how much the cattle will actually leave in the barn is not yet known.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
