The wolf that bit a woman in the face in Hamburg at the end of March has been released into the wild this Easter Sunday, according to a statement from the Hamburg environmental authorities on Monday. The animal has been fitted with a tracking transmitter and was released as part of a cross-regional wolf project, where it will now be closely monitored.
Environmental Senator Katharina Fegebank (The Greens) described the action as a “probationary release”. The wolf’s location will be continuously tracked, allowing hunters to intervene quickly if the animal approaches a settlement again in an emergency. Alternative solutions, such as housing it in an enclosure or euthanizing it, were deemed legally or practically unfeasible.
Following multiple sightings between March 28th and 30th in Klein Flottbek, the wolf entered a stressful situation and injured a woman on the Große Bergstraße. After being secured on the Binnenalster, it was initially transported to a wildlife rescue station in Lower Saxony.