A 45-kilogram male wolf was killed shortly after midnight on August 12 at 2,800 meters altitude in South Tyrol’s Alta Val Venosta region. Günther Unterthiner, Director of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano’s Forestry Division, confirmed the culling—one of two wolves authorized for elimination by Provincial President Arno Kompatscher. The operation was executed by the Provincial Forestry Corps following escalating threats to alpine farming.
Provincial Agriculture Councillor Luis Walcher stated, “In South Tyrol, wolves have increasingly endangered traditional livestock breeding and public safety,” thanking officials for implementing the measure. Between May and July 2023, authorities documented 31 wolf attacks on grazing animals in Alta Val Venosta—adding to 42 attacks recorded there during the previous alpine season. Despite protective measures by farmers and the area’s designation as a pasture protection zone under provincial law, attacks persisted.
The cull received prior approval from both the Provincial Wildlife Observatory and Italy’s environmental research agency ISPRA, with a 60-day validity period. This action follows the European Union’s July 14 downgrade of wolf protection status from “strictly protected” to “protected” under the amended Habitat Directive.