Wolf Incident in Hamburg: Controversy Surrounds Alleged Bite
Hamburg, April 5 – A young wolf that caused a stir in Hamburg last week, following an alleged bite incident in Altona, is currently housed at a wildlife and species protection station in Sachsenhagen (Schaumburg district/Lower Saxony). The Hamburg Authority for Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture is responsible for the animal, and a spokesperson stated that a decision regarding its future is imminent.
What Happened on Monday Evening?
On Monday evening, the wolf reportedly wandered into the Große Bergstraße shopping district in Altona. According to police, a woman attempted to assist the animal and was allegedly bitten in the face. Witnesses reported that the woman likely mistook the wolf for a stray dog. The animal then fled and was later discovered by police at Jungfernstieg in the Binnenalster, where officers rescued it from the water. After an initial examination by a veterinarian, the wolf was temporarily placed in the Klövensteen Wildlife Park near Rissen, on the border with Schleswig-Holstein. Prior to the incident, witnesses had sighted the young wolf multiple times in western Hamburg.
Doubts Emerge Regarding the Bite Account
Significant doubts have been raised about whether the incident was indeed a bite. Several media outlets have speculated that it might have been a paw strike rather than a bite, citing the experiences of experts. The “Abendblatt,” for example, quoted a zookeeper from the Lüneburg Heath Wildlife Park, who has experience with wolves and considers a paw strike more probable. The “Spiegel” magazine referred to wolf activist Christian Berge, who, after analyzing various eyewitness accounts, believes the wolf “simply ran over” the woman. The Naturschutzinitiative Niedersachsen und Hamburg (Nature Conservation Initiative Lower Saxony and Hamburg) has issued a press release demanding the wolf’s re-release, arguing that an exceptional permit for its killing would be illegal.
Hamburg Environmental Authority’s Stance
Alexander Fricke, spokesperson for the Hamburg Environmental Authority, confirmed to NDR that he had seen reports and speculations suggesting it might not have been a bite. However, he stated that there is no new information from the authorities on the matter. “During the examination of the wound, much indicates that it could have been a bite,” Fricke said.
Available Options for the Wolf
According to the Lower Saxony Ministry of Environment, a wild animal not accustomed to captivity cannot be kept in an enclosure for long, and the current enclosure might not be suitable. A ministry spokesperson told NDR Niedersachsen that killing a captured animal would be a special case. “Releasing it back into the wild would also be an option,” the spokesperson added.
Condition of the Injured Woman
The affected individual is a 60-year-old woman. According to Hamburg’s Senator for Environment, Katharina Fegebank (Greens), the woman received outpatient treatment at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and reportedly left the clinic after treatment. No further details about the woman have been released.
Wolf in a Major City: A Precedent
Senator Fegebank stated at a press conference on Tuesday that this is a “precedent-setting case.” Such a human-wolf encounter has “to our knowledge and research, not yet occurred in Germany.” Raoul Reding, the wolf commissioner for the Lower Saxony Hunting Association, told NDR that there are regions in Lower Saxony where entire wolf packs reside near cities. However, he emphasized that these do not necessarily pose a danger. “The inner-city, urban area is not a classic wolf habitat, so a resident wolf pack would tend to avoid these areas.” Reding believes the young wolf was lost and under great stress.
Further Developments and Expert Opinions
The incident has sparked widespread discussion among wildlife experts and the public. Dr. Andreas Kinser from the German Wildlife Foundation stated that an incident like this in Hamburg has “not happened in Europe in the last 200 years.” Eyewitness Lionel von Lawrence-Oehlen recounted his observations of the wolf incident in Altona to NDR 90.3, providing further details.
The police caught the wolf in Hamburg’s city center, and its capture from the Alster was a significant event. The alleged bite is considered the first attack by a wolf on a human in Germany since its reintroduction in 1998. The animal was initially taken to the Klövensteen Wildlife Park.
Reports also highlight that similar wolf encounters, though not necessarily involving attacks, are possible in Lower Saxony, where wolf packs are known to inhabit areas close to urban centers, yet typically avoid them.
Ongoing Investigation
The Hamburg Environmental Authority continues its investigation into the incident, carefully considering all available information and expert opinions to determine the best course of action for the wolf. The case underscores the complex challenges of wildlife management in increasingly urbanized landscapes.
Source: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/wolfs-biss-oder-nicht-was-ueber-fall-aus-hamburg-bekannt-ist,wolf-582.html
