Four sheep dead

Next wolf roams the Pinzgau region

Symbolic image.(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

Four dead sheep, six animals still missing. That is the result of a wolf attack on a mountain pasture in Niedernsill. "The wolf's DNA is currently being analyzed", reports Hubert Stock, the province's wolf commissioner. The results are expected in around a week.

However, there is no need to wait for the DNA analysis to release the animal for shooting. In the meantime, an unambiguous pattern of cracks is sufficient for the decision. This should allow the necessary regulations to be issued more quickly. A decision will be made in the next few days as to whether the wolf can be hunted and removed by decree. The new wolf management plan defines grazing protection zones for this purpose. These are areas that cannot be protected. This would also apply in the Niedernsill case.

So it is probably only a matter of time before the wolf gets its comeuppance. It is also associated with numerous kills in nearby Tyrol. At the beginning of June, a wolf killed 23 sheep in Rauris. It took less than a day for the animal to be shot after it was released. After that, there were no more kills in the area. For the experts, this was clear proof that it was the right animal. However, the DNA analysis of the shot animal is still pending.