Wolf illegally shot, tied to concrete and dumped in Germany

[Koa]

Reward offered after brutal wolf murder in Germany
By Christina Burack, July 12, 2018\
DW

A €7,000 ($8,100) reward has been offered for information that leads to the arrest of a wolf killer, the German Organization for the Protection of Wolves announced on Wednesday.

The reward is tied to the killing of a 1-year-old wolf in Saxony, whose body had been found on June 10 floating in a lake near the city of Bautzen.

An examination of the wolf's corpse by a Berlin wildlife research institute found that the young female had been fatally shot in the chest and then had a rope tied around her stomach and lashed to a concrete weight.

Read the full article here: https://www.dw.com/en/reward-offered-flower ... a-44641930

The problem with these kinds of "brutal" killings is that they polarize each side-- those who dislike wolves feel more emboldened, and those that like wolves may be more inclined to demonize the other side while continuing to view wolves in an overly positive light without considering the consequences of their existence. Acts like these threaten reaching a middle ground.

There are 160 wolves in Germany. https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-wolf-pop ... a-41503395

[SolitaryHowl]

I personally don't mind culling populations if they get too high, but as the article states the wolf is considered endangered in Germany and it is illegal to kill them.

There are ways to protect your livestock from predation (which would help against all predators, not just wolves) besides shooting them. There are dog breeds that are specifically bred to protect livestock against wolves and other predators. If the wolves see that killing livestock is more trouble than it is worth, they might stop. If they are not dissuaded by non-lethal tactics, then I believe lethal force is necessary, but only as a last resort.

At the same time, glorifying wolves can be dangerous too. They are still animals and should be treated with the same caution one would use against any other predator.