Photo Gallery Quintessential Predator?
A special wildlife camera captures a photo of a wolf living in the state of Brandenburg near Berlin. Wolf populations are thriving in Europe, with the predator reestablishing itself in areas all across the Continent.
SPIEGEL recently interviewed Luigi Boitani, an Italian scientist who has been researching wolves in Europe for 40 years. He says newfound fears of the wolf are exaggerated and that people and farmers simply need better education measures. Many of the fears are related to the wolf's predation of livestock like sheep. "The coexistence of man and wolf is a compromise, as is any other form of coexistence," says Boitani. "It only works if human beings tolerate the damage caused by wolves to a certain extent."
Wolf pups are pictured in the eastern German state of Mecklenberg-Western Pomerania in July 2014. "Wolves are very clever animals," Boitani says. "The young learn from the older ones. ... I have no objection to shooting a wolf that's causing a lot of trouble. I'm a conservationist, but I'm not one of those wolf lovers who believe that every animal is sacred and has to be protected under all circumstances."
The best method of protecting a herd of sheep from wolves, Boitani argues, is still the one that has proven successful for thousands of years: Having a guard dog and a shepherd nearby.
Map: Wolf Populations in Europe
