Wolf on Norderney: Traces lead to Friesland!

Wolf on Norderney: Traces lead to Friesland!

Friederikensiel, Deutschland - A wolf that was sighted on the North Sea island of Norderney in summer has now caused excitement on the mainland! In mid -July, the animal tore a sheep in Friederikensiel, a municipality in Wangerland. This happened only a few days after the wolf on the island was detected. Benedikt Wiggering, an expert in biodiversity at the National Park Administration Lower Saxony Wadden Sea in Wilhelmshaven, confirmed that the DNA of the torn sheep can clearly be assigned to the wolf of Norderney. A hair sample that was collected on the island agreed with the DNA analysis.

The first sightings of the wolf on Norderney were documented by a wildlife camera at the end of June. The animal was photographed on June 6th and 20th, and further sightings followed in July. The analysis showed that the wolf comes from a Belgian pack and was born last year. The last secured evidence comes from August 17 and 19, but whether it is the same wolf remains unclear. Wiggering expressed that it was possible that the wolf returned to the island, but there is no certainty.

How did the wolf get to the island?

The question of how the wolf reached the North Sea island employs experts. Hunter and national park employee suspect that the animal came from the mainland over the watts of low water. Wolves have been on the Lower Saxony coast for a long time, and it is not unusual for them to cover long distances. Young wolves can run up to 80 kilometers a day, which explains the approximately 40 kilometers between Norderney and the crack in Friesland. Wiggering emphasized that such explorations are typical for wolves.