Wolves in Lower Saxony: Increase in packs – Lüneburg remains a hotspot!

Wolves in Lower Saxony: Increase in packs – Lüneburg remains a hotspot!

The wolves in Lower Saxony are apparently feeling at home: compared to the previous year, the number of wolf packs and territories has increased. Current reports like the one from the State newspaper show that Lower Saxony now has a total of 64 wolf territories by the end of September 2025, including 59 wolf packs, three wolf pairs and two resident individuals. This represents an increase of one territory since the last quarter.

The Lüneburg region is particularly noticeable, as it continues to be a hotspot for wolves. It is estimated that around a dozen wolves live in the Lüneburg and Harburg districts. The number of confirmed wolf packs with offspring in Lüneburg is remarkable: eight animals, including six puppies, were spotted in Bleckede. Healthy pack populations were also found in Wendisch Evern and Göhrde, which have established themselves over the past few months.

Livestock tears remain problematic

Despite the positive news about the growth of the wolf population, the issue of livestock losses does not go unnoticed. In the third quarter of 2025, a complicated picture emerged again. According to the details from the wolf monitoring Lower Saxony State Hunting Association There were 100 confirmed attacks on farm animals during this period, in which a total of 200 animals were killed, 101 were injured and five were reported missing. Sheep were the most frequently attacked, followed by cattle and horses.

Most of the attacks found in Lower Saxony took place in the Cuxhaven district. This has overtaken the Lüneburg region in terms of officially determined livestock injuries and is thus causing more and more discussion among livestock farmers. In Lüneburg itself, four proven wolf attacks were documented in the third quarter, including tragic incidents such as the attack on three goats near Tosterglope.

Monitoring through technology

The monitoring and documentation of wolf occurrences is largely carried out using modern technology. Around 54.08% of the evidence is based on camera trap recordings. Only 19.75% of sightings and 13.66% on solution finds. This shows that wolves are well recorded in the population and allows conclusions to be drawn about their distribution in Lower Saxony. Hunters in particular are significantly involved in this evidence, with 88.94% of the C1 evidence coming from them.

Overall, the situation surrounding wolves in Lower Saxony remains not only exciting but also challenging. The increasing numbers raise questions that urgently need to be answered by administrations and residents. There are numerous facets to this topic that need to be taken into account - from nature conservation to animal husbandry to social acceptance of predators.