Wolf attacks are declining sharply in Brandenburg
Wolves killed 944 sheep and goats in Brandenburg, Germany, in 2024. That is 337 fewer than in the previous year.
Nobody expected this: For the first time since the return of the wolves, attacks on grazing animals are declining – and significantly so.
Does this mean the planned wolf hunt is off the table?
The new figures are surprising: 944 sheep and goats were killed by wolves in Brandenburg in 2024 – down from 1,281 the previous year. This represents a decrease of 26%. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment explained this in response to an inquiry from the AfD (Alternative for Germany). Until now, the number of wolf attacks had increased every year. Brandenburg is Europe's number one wolf territory.
The reason for this positive trend: more and more livestock farmers are relying on wolf fences and livestock guardian dogs – both financed by the state. In 91% of wolf attacks since 2019, the recommended livestock protection was lacking. Hobby farmers were primarily affected. Professional breeders and transhumant shepherds usually protect their animals properly.
58 wolf packs live in Brandenburg – more than in any other country.
Wolf attacks on cattle calves (-39 percent) and farmed deer (-44 percent) declined significantly. No donkey or horse foals were attacked in 2024 (previous year: 8). According to the ministry, most wolf attacks occurred in the Spree-Neisse district (51) and the Uckermark region (36). There were no attacks in the urban areas of Potsdam and Brandenburg an der Havel.
Nevertheless, the Brandenburg state government is sticking to its plans to cull wolves. The animals, currently strictly protected, are to be legally declared game animals as early as June. The state hunting advisory board does not want to wait for new regulations from the federal government.
Environment State Secretary and hunting lobbyist Gregor Beyer (independent, formerly FDP) is pushing ahead with hunting plans – using fantastical figures. Beyer is spreading fear by claiming there are 5,000 wolves in Germany. In reality, there are only 1,600 animals nationwide, including 58 packs, eight pairs, and 210 pups in the wolf-rich state of Brandenburg.
“The decreased number of livestock kills shows that protecting livestock is far more important than hunting wolves,” says Carsten Preuss, head of the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND). He demands “that further funds for prevention and compensation payments flow quickly and without bureaucracy, and that livestock protection advisory services are continuously expanded.”
In Brandenburg, the increasing number of wolves has led to a decline in the deer population, particularly red and fallow deer, which benefits the forest and ecosystem. Hobby hunters in Oder-Spree shot only 128 red deer in 2024/25; previously, the number was 800.
