A wolf that bit a woman’s face during an attempt to free the animal from a passage protected by automatic doors in Hamburg‑Altona on Monday night has prompted a call for decisive action from Helmut Dammann‑Tamke, president of the German Hunting Association (DJV). The wolf was captured without sedation and is now held temporarily in a wildlife enclosure in Klövensteen, Rissen.
Mr. Dammann‑Tamke told the “Bild” (Wednesday edition) that the political decision-makers must now determine the wolf’s fate. He argued that keeping a wild animal in captivity is unacceptable on animal‑welfare grounds and that the options are either euthanasia or releasing the wolf, equipped with a tracking collar, at the outskirts of Hamburg. If the latter route is chosen, the DJV will demand a collar and will act decisively at the first sign of further aggression.
He cited a 2016 precedent in Lower Saxony when a wolf named “Kurti” was shot after repeatedly approaching walkers with dogs-a decision that was made possible by the animal’s tracking collar. Mr. Dammann‑Tamke insists that the wolf needs to learn to keep distance, a lesson he believes can only be enforced by killing single individuals so that the behavior of the entire pack is influenced.