Overview

• A CT scan conducted by the Leibniz-Institut für Zoo- und Wildtierforschung confirmed the wolf found in late 2023 on a Wartburgkreis road was illegally shot.
• Initial examinations had attributed the carcass’s injuries to a traffic accident before the environmental ministry commissioned forensic imaging.
• The male wolf was traced back to the Wildflecken pack in Bavaria’s Rhön region after the local forestry office reported the find to the Kompetenzzentrum Wolf, Biber, Luchs.
• The Untere Naturschutzbehörde, police and Staatsanwaltschaft have been informed, triggering criminal proceedings under Germany’s strict wildlife protection laws.
• Conservation groups including Nabu Thüringen are calling for dedicated environmental crime units to strengthen investigation and prosecution of illegal wolf killings.