After the black-red Tyrolean state government at the end of April had authorized the shooting of a wolf in East Tyrol, one was shot on Thursday night in the municipality of St. Veit in Defereggen. The shooting order had followed repeated sheep killings near residential areas, the state government reported. At that time, DNA identified a wolf as the culprit. In the Upper Tyrolean Oberland, another shooting order has now been issued.

“Several killing incidents in immediate proximity to settlements made it clear that action was necessary,” said Deputy Governor Josef Geisler (ÖVP). He thanked the East Tyrolean hunters for their “swift action.” The animal will now be sent to the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) for further investigation.

The shooting order in the Imst district on Friday was issued after three dead sheep were found in three alpine pastures in the municipality of Umhausen. In two cases, DNA samples confirmed a wolf as the perpetrator. The order is now in effect for eight weeks and takes effect at midnight.

Status Report on the Wolf Situation in Austria
On Friday, the Austria Center for Bear, Wolf, Lynx published its annual status report on the wolf situation in Austria, based on monitoring by the federal states. Last year, 102 individuals were recorded, of which one wolf was found dead and 13 were shot under state orders. Records came from all federal states except Vienna. In total, nine packs were confirmed, four of which had pups.

The report also shows a continued decline in livestock losses for the second year in a row. This decrease is mainly due to fewer losses among sheep and goats. Tyrol and Carinthia again recorded the highest losses in the reporting year, although they also saw declines.