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The Great Good Wolf Returns |
BERLIN, Germany - A century after they were wiped out, wolves have returned to parts of eastern Germany as factories close down, businesses fail and people move out. A few dozen wolves have formed a beachhead in Germany’s Brandenburg state just west of the border with Poland and enjoy special protection from authorities delighted by the return of the shy animals so deeply entrenched in German folklore.
It’s a surprising comeback in one of the world's leading industrial nations where 82 million people are squeezed into a country the size of the US state of Montana. Other species, like the crane and the white-tailed eagle have also flourished in the east as the human population decreases.
The wolves, who arrived from Poland or other neighbouring countries, live in a largely vacant area of abandoned strip mines and vacated troop training grounds southeast of Berlin. "They're following ancient migration routes back to Germany, partly because of the growing numbers in Poland, Slovakia and other parts of Eastern Europe (which) means they have to spread out and go somewhere," said Roland Melisch, head of the species conservation section at the WWF in Germany.
The Brandenburg state government, which surrounds Berlin, welcomed their return to the forests. It offers farmers cash compensation for any farm animals that fall prey to the wolves. “We’re all thrilled that the wolves are back,” Freude said. “They belong here. The forest is a more exciting place when you know wolves are in it. They’re difficult to see because they're very shy.”
Wolves have also been returning to other countries where they were nearly extinct, including Italy, Austria, France and Baltic states, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
It’s a surprising comeback in one of the world's leading industrial nations where 82 million people are squeezed into a country the size of the US state of Montana. Other species, like the crane and the white-tailed eagle have also flourished in the east as the human population decreases.
The wolves, who arrived from Poland or other neighbouring countries, live in a largely vacant area of abandoned strip mines and vacated troop training grounds southeast of Berlin. "They're following ancient migration routes back to Germany, partly because of the growing numbers in Poland, Slovakia and other parts of Eastern Europe (which) means they have to spread out and go somewhere," said Roland Melisch, head of the species conservation section at the WWF in Germany.
The Brandenburg state government, which surrounds Berlin, welcomed their return to the forests. It offers farmers cash compensation for any farm animals that fall prey to the wolves. “We’re all thrilled that the wolves are back,” Freude said. “They belong here. The forest is a more exciting place when you know wolves are in it. They’re difficult to see because they're very shy.”
Wolves have also been returning to other countries where they were nearly extinct, including Italy, Austria, France and Baltic states, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
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