Overview

• Rainer cited around 2,500 wolves in Germany—more per area than in Russia—as evidence the population is robust
• After reporting a favourable status for the northwest region in late July, the government will notify Brussels this autumn of a nationwide rating
• The revised Federal Hunting Act, scheduled for Bundesrat approval by late January, will formally include wolves under national hunting law and authorize the culling of problem animals
• States such as Hesse continue to enforce hunting bans under non-favourable assessments, exposing legal uncertainty and federal-state tensions over monitoring standards
• Conservation groups including WWF and BUND warn that downranking protections before uniform monitoring is in place could undermine non-lethal safeguards and long-term population management