There have been wolves in Germany since they returned twenty years ago. This has led to controversies in politics and in media. Amongst many other institutions, The Senckenberg Society for Nature Research has been chosen as the reference center for wolf and lynx monitoring in Germany and has been investigating all genetic samples from all around the nation in their laboratories since 2010.
Scientist Dr. Casten Nowak spoke with Senckenberg’s online editor Adrian Giacomelli about the procedure for the genetic examinations, hybrids between wolves and dogs, and which rumors about wolves can be scientifically refuted.
How did it come about that Senckenberg performs the national examinations in regard to wolves? When it became clear that wolf monitoring required genetic follow-up examinations, numerous laboratories in Germany were contacted to inquire about the suitability of the laboratories for wolf and lynx monitoring. We, as the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research, responded and applied. A few months later, the State Conservation Group, a committee of the Conference of Environment Ministers, decided to use Senckenberg as a nationwide reference center. Since the beginning of 2010, Senckenberg has carried out all genetic examinations nationwide, for both, the wolf and the lynx.That means the federation decided: „Senckenberg should be our laboratory”?
The federal states decided together, based on the proposal of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.