Augsburg (dpa / lby) - When examining three dead sheep in the Lower Franconian district of Rhön-Grabfeld, the authorities found gene traces of a local wolf and her young on the carcasses. According to the findings, the puppies are wolf dogs because the wolf mated with a domestic dog from Thuringia in spring 2022, the State Office for the Environment (LfU) in Augsburg announced on Thursday. In August, the five boys fell into a Thuringian photo trap. The wolfhound offspring - so-called hybrids - must be shot according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act.
The mixing of dogs and wolves leads to genetic changes, said an LfU spokesman. This could lead to a deterioration of the gene pool. The LfU will now take steps for the removal. These may only be carried out by people commissioned by the LfU. According to the LfU, a removal procedure had already been initiated in Thuringia in the summer.
In the case of a goat that was also killed in the Rhön-Grabfeld district, a wolf and a wolfhound were ruled out as attackers, the LfU said. According to a DNA analysis, the animal was clearly killed by a dog. The authority advises dog owners to leash their animals near pastures and livestock owners in wolf areas to secure their herds. Subsidies for this can be applied for at the respective agricultural offices.
