Dresden/Bonn (dpa/sn) - The number of wolf packs living in Saxony has increased compared to the previous year. In the observation year 2021/2022, a total of 31 wolf packs, 4 pairs of wolves and one individual animal were counted in Saxony, as announced by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and the Federal Documentation and Advice Center on Wolf Issues (DBBW) on Monday in Bonn. According to this, only 29 wolf packs and thus 2 wolf packs less lived in Saxony last year.

Since its return in 1998, the wolf has been spreading throughout Germany. From May 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022, the officially confirmed number of wolf packs in Germany increased from 158 to 161. In addition, 43 pairs of wolves and 21 sedentary wolves were confirmed.

According to DBBW, the basis for the survey is more than 30,000 traced leads and evidence as well as camera trap images and genetic evidence such as faecal samples. Saxony, together with its neighboring federal states, is one of the regions in which a particularly large number of wolves are represented. In a Germany-wide comparison, most wolf packs (47) were found in Brandenburg. In Saxony-Anhalt, the experts counted 24 and in Thuringia a pack of wolves.