Genetic test confirms:

Automatically stored draft

The male wolf shot in Mellental had killed several farm animals (symbolic image)(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

Genotyping has confirmed that the wolf killed in the Bregenzerwald Mellental valley had previously killed several farm animals. Provincial councillor Christian Gantner considers his wolf management to be in order. 

On August 7, a wolf was shot in Vorarlberg for the first time in around 150 years. And it was completely legal, as the Bregenz district administration had issued a corresponding "measures ordinance" in advance. The shooting order was not issued as a joke: In the days before, there had been repeated wolf attacks on large livestock in the Mellental valley. Two young cattle were killed and a calf injured. In addition, a fleeing cow fell to its death. At the end of July, a wolf had already attacked a pregnant cow in Bezau-Schönenbach - the calf was stillborn a few days later and the cow had to be put down.

No further livestock kills have been recorded in the Bregenzerwald since the wolf was killed. And now the genetic test has also confirmed that the hunters got the right wolf. It has also emerged that the predator was also responsible for the death of three goats in the Laternsertal valley.

The state councillor responsible, Christian Gantner, is very relieved: "We are demonstrably on the right track in Vorarlberg with our wolf management ordinance. Our aim is and remains not to shoot indiscriminately, but to act consistently and quickly when the situation requires it."