Over the years, the few individuals fitted with radio collars have provided valuable data on movement and migration. One wolf travelled east, made its way through Poland and stayed in the border area between Belarus and Lithuania, clocking up a journey of about 800km as the crow flies from its home in Saxony. Indeed, wolves can travel great distances to find new territories, meaning a wolf could appear anywhere in Germany at any time.<\/p>\n

Without radio collars, tracking down such elusive creatures is extremely challenging. Camera traps \u2013 the secret eyes of researchers \u2013 are indispensable to the cause, with hundreds deployed across Germany\u2019s forests. Prints in the sand, on damp ground or in the snow also provide clues to the animals\u2019 whereabouts, as does the presence of territorial scats.<\/p>\n

According to the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), 158 wolf packs, 27 pairs and 20 solitary animals were confirmed in Germany in the last monitoring year. In total, the population could number about 1,200 wolves. Nobody knows the exact number as these wide-ranging and secretive animals cannot be counted individually, and pack size can fluctuate between five and ten animals over the course of a year, but the number of territories is well known, so these figures are still good and as accurate as they can be based on scientific monitoring data.<\/p>\n

With its wooded low mountain ranges, as well as the Alps and their surrounds, Germany has many regions that would be suitable for wolves that are yet to be repopulated. According to the BfN, there could be space for about 700\u20131,400 wolf territories in Germany. The animals can live in any area that is large enough and that offers suitable shelter and prey.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/strong><\/p>\n

Apex predators in the wild: which mammals are most dangerous?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
Separating fact from fiction: wolf attacks<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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While many wolves that arrive in Germany make it their forever home, some of their descendants will keep moving. Step by step, successive generations can make their way to other countries and extend\nthe range. Some have returned to Poland, the homeland of their ancestors. Others have settled in Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, living secret lives out of sight of humans.<\/p>\n
One of the few people that has seen a wolf is Frank Neumann, who manages a large sheep farm. Because his animals were easy pickings for these predators, he has encountered them many times. Now, he protects his charges using electric fences and livestock guardians in the form of Pyrenean mountain dogs, which have been bred in their homeland for centuries to guard sheep. Puppies are born surrounded by sheep, imprint on them, and thus defend them like their own. For Frank, who lost 38 sheep in five separate wolf attacks, calm has been restored. The wolves may still try their luck, but quickly realise it is simply not worth the effort and switch their hunting efforts to elsewhere.<\/p>\n
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Interestingly, the wolves also help to protect the sheep by defending their territory against rivals. \u201cMy pack doesn\u2019t let any unknown wolves in,\u201d says Frank. \u201cThe wolves that live here are indirectly protecting my sheep alongside the dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adjusting to a new life in Germany comes with many challenges for the incoming wolves. It is not always easy living in the shadows. The biggest danger to them is road collisions, with 567 fatalities known to date. Humans are the next significant threat. Some hunters resort to shooting wolves illegally, unhappy that they are claiming a share of \u2018their\u2019 game and frustrated that, with predators roaming the forests again, the resident deer have become more skittish and are therefore harder targets. So far, 69 illegal killings of wolves have been recorded, but many more are likely to have gone undocumented.<\/p>\n
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\u201cUnder German law, wolves enjoy the highest levels of protection. Deliberately killing them is a criminal act,\u201d says Anke Stroh from Saxony\u2019s police department. Potential punishments include the lifelong revocation of a hunting license, fines of up to \u20ac50,000 and up to five years in prison.<\/p>\n
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White-tailed eagle<\/h6>\n
These powerful eagles don\u2019t just rely on the wetlands to hunt, they also like to eat carrion and benefit from the wolves\u2019 prey remains. They can breed in high densities on the military training grounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Red deer\u00a0<\/h6>\n
Red deer are strictly regulated in many regions of Germany, but there are large populations on military training grounds. The young animals in particular are an important prey for wolves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

White-tailed eagle<\/h6>\nThese powerful eagles don\u2019t just rely on the wetlands to hunt, they also like to eat carrion and benefit from the wolves\u2019 prey remains. They can breed in high densities on the military training grounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Red deer\u00a0<\/h6>\nRed deer are strictly regulated in many regions of Germany, but there are large populations on military training grounds. The young animals in particular are an important prey for wolves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

White-tailed eagle<\/h6>\n
These powerful eagles don\u2019t just rely on the wetlands to hunt, they also like to eat carrion and benefit from the wolves\u2019 prey remains. They can breed in high densities on the military training grounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Red deer\u00a0<\/h6>\n
Red deer are strictly regulated in many regions of Germany, but there are large populations on military training grounds. The young animals in particular are an important prey for wolves.\u00a0<\/p>\n