Germany's Wolf Monitoring Shows Decline in Livestock Damage

The Landesjagdverband Hessen e. V. and the Wolfzentrum Hessen are launching a mandatory training course for volunteer wolf advisors in Weilburg, aimed at improving wolf‑related injury assessments, documentation and online reporting under the revised Hessian hunting law.

A federal report by the Dokumentations‑ und Beratungsstelle des Bundes zum Thema Wolf (DBBW) for 2025 shows that wolf attacks on livestock in Germany fell by 11 % and the number of injured or killed animals dropped by 13 % compared with the previous year. The report notes that most incidents involve sheep and goats and that effective herd protection, such as fencing, reduces damage. It also highlights the cost disparity: about €17.2 million was spent on protective measures in 2025 versus roughly €0.75 million in compensation payments, challenging the claim that wolves cause severe agricultural losses that justify lethal control.