Wolves in Burgenland: Danger or important natural?

Wolves in Burgenland: Danger or important natural?

In the past few days, Wolf's cracks have been confirmed in Northern Burgenland, which has led to an increased discussion about the presence of wolves in the region. David Simon, head of nature conservation, hunting and fishing at Pannatura, emphasizes that such sightings are "no reason to panic". He makes it clear that the warning obligation has to be taken seriously in view of the proximity to metropolitan areas. Wolves are seen in the region as an enrichment of biodiversity, even if only sporadic passage views have been recorded so far.

Roman Bunyai, head of the hunting department, expresses that Burgenland offers no ideal habitat for wolves. The variety of food in Burgenland is less than in the Alpine region, which makes a permanent settlement in the Rosalia and Leithage Mountains appear unlikely. In addition, the proximity to densely populated areas could be deterred wolves.

monitoring measures and protection of the wolves

Pannatura calls for the implementation of monitoring measures and welcomes the country's planned registration office in order to capture central information on sightings and cracks. Demands of the wolves could also provide valuable insights into their lifestyle. Despite the potential encounters with people, wolves usually avoid contact. Safety instructions advise you not to approach at such a meeting and to go backwards.

The behavior of the wolves in cultural landscapes has already been examined in many regions. In Germany, wolves show in areas with high public traffic that they have had no negative experiences with people, which leads to a careful but not extremely shy attitude. A current study shows that only twelve documented attacks with wolves were involved in Europe and North America between 2002 and 2020, which underlines the rarity of such incidents. In these cases, the main causes were mostly rabies, provocation and feeding conditioning.

The wolf as part of the ecosystem

The return of the wolf not only affects fears and concerns in the population, but also for ecosystems themselves. In Germany, wolf population is estimated to be around 17,000 animals, and last year, between January and August 2023, over 600 animals were torn from wolves in Lower Saxony. This development leads to tensions between farmers who want to protect their farm animals and conservationists who consider the wolf to be an important part of nature.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for measures that could make hunt for wolves easier. However, there is also a strong resistance to a easier hunting against the background of the positive ecological effects that wolves can bring with them. For example, experience in the Yellowstone National Park shows that the return of the wolves can strengthen the ecosystem.