Wolf pup killed by car in Saxony

The young male pup was the second to be killed from a litter of eight that wolf experts in the region call the “Nochten litter.” His sibling was killed on the same stretch of road in mid-September.

Five wolves have been killed by car traffic since 2007. Currently, several wolf packs live in Saxony’s Lausitz region. Recently another pack joined a single established pair in the nearby state of Brandenburg, helping the canines expand their territory.

The Canis lupus, or grey wolf, was hunted in Germany beginning in medieval times. The species disappeared from the country in the 19th century, when they were driven east to Poland and Russia.

But the wolf has been making a slow return to Germany despite residents’ fears and several poaching incidents with hunters. Experts estimate there are about five packs making up a total of 40 to 45 wolves in the eastern part of the country.