![]() He regularly follows their tracks, though, which he describes as an exciting way to gain deeper insight into their behavior. Bathen has only actually seen two animals in 12 years - not for want of trying. As wild animals, wolves are shy and tend to flee from, rather than seek out, humans. Yet for all that, the chances of coming face to face with a wolf are much slighter than divisive headlines might have one believe. ![]() "They clearly find plenty of ideal habitat," he told DW. But he expects the number to increase - and for the species to continue ranging further west. Markus Bathen, who also gives lectures and advises state governments on wolf management, has counted 35 wolves so far. That makes them eligible for compensation for losses caused by wolves. He believes articles about "the big bad wolf," and discussions and debates about "wolf-free zones" - as occur in the German public discussion on wolves - fuel an existing tendency toward hysteria over human relations with this top predator.īathen fights against anti-wolf prejudices with informationĮven in regions where Canis lupus has yet to make an appearance, sheep farmers and goat herders are legally entitled to subsidies - so long as they put up electric fences and train protection dogs. "Talking about them helps prevent prejudice," he said. Unfairly so, according to Markus Bathen, a forest ranger, hunter and wolf specialist with NABU (Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union). The fact is, wolves do not have a good reputation. ![]() But the return of the wolf has raised safety concerns among the German population. And as a threatened species that enjoys legal protection in Germany, the wolf looks set to stay. Then, for a century and a half, the only wolves in Germany were mythical creatures on the pages of storybooks.īut thanks to extensive conservation measures, for the past 15 years wolves have been padding back across the Polish border into eastern Germany. For hundreds of years, the wild canines lived on the fringes of human civilization, feasting on sheep and goats whenever a herder's lapse in concentration allowed.īut with humans depending on the livestock the wolves stole, they waged a battle against their fanged foes - and won, through methodical extermination of the species. Once upon a time, the forests of Germany were thick with wolves.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |