Bad Neustadt a.d. Saale/Augsburg (dpa/lby) – wolf, bear or lynx? In the Rhön-Grabfeld district in Lower Franconia, three sheep were probably injured by a large predator. One animal was found dead, another relieved of its suffering, as the State Office for the Environment announced in Augsburg on Tuesday. The cadavers would now be genetically examined. There will also be a section at the State Office for Health and Food Safety.
“Based on the initial documentation of the external injuries on site, the involvement of a large predator cannot currently be ruled out,” it said. The investigations should provide concrete insights – these could be available in about a week. According to current knowledge, several wolves live in the Rhön on the border between Hesse and Bavaria, and wolf tears in the Rhön-Grabfeld district have already been documented.
In the case of a dead goat also found in the same district in mid-November, the experts do not assume that a large predator such as a lynx or wolf was involved. Nevertheless, there will also be a DNA analysis here.
In principle, dogs can also attack livestock. The Bavarian Farmers’ Association has been asking dog owners for years to use the leash when walking their dogs in the woods and fields.