New wolf areas in Lower Bavaria: How to protect your animals!

New wolf areas in Lower Bavaria: How to protect your animals!

From January 1, 2026, there will be extensive changes to the wolf areas in Bavaria, which will particularly affect the Freyung-Grafenau district. This was officially announced today and is underlined by current wolf monitoring data. Lower Bavaria oldie wave reports that some communities are newly included in wolf territory, while others are dropped. An important newly designated wolf territory is located in the Leopoldsreuter Forest.

A transition period of one year is planned for the affected users, particularly in the agricultural sector. With the new regulations, this period begins on January 1, 2026. After this period, animal owners are only entitled to state compensation if they have effective herd protection. The Bavarian State Office for the Environment therefore recommends finding out about the new regulations early on and taking the necessary protective measures for your animals.

News about the wolf areas

But that's not all. Further new wolf areas were officially announced in the Bavarian Ministerial Gazette on January 31, 2024. These include, among others, the Pressather Forest and the Hohe Rhön, while the Altmühltal wolf area has been expanded to the southeast. Bavarian State Office for the Environment emphasizes that the EU requirements require effective herd protection in the designated areas. During the one-year transition period, livestock farmers must adapt to the new circumstances.

What exactly is behind wolf monitoring?

Loud Bayern Wild Reports of sightings of wolves, photo documentation, dead finds and cracks on wild or farm animals are collected in the State Office for the Environment. These clues are divided into different categories and evaluated. To classify the evidence, criteria such as C1 - clear evidence - are used, which must be confirmed by experts in order to be considered evidence of the presence of wolves.

Researchers are particularly adept at analyzing cracks, looking for specific signs that point to a wolf as the culprit. These include, among other things, targeted throat bites and tooth marks. If such evidence is available, samples from the killing sites will be subjected to genetic testing.

One thing is clear: the new regulations and the associated wolf management play a central role in agriculture, and it remains to be seen how the situation will develop in the coming months. Now it is important for everyone involved to prepare well and implement all necessary protective measures in a timely manner.