Hamburg authority assumes released wolf from Altona is dead

"The transmitters used are technically extremely reliable and proven; a defect or a conventional loss of the collar after such a short period of operation is considered unlikely," said the spokesperson. Extensive search operations have so far been unsuccessful. "Neither the animal nor the transmitter have been located so far," the spokesperson stated.

Search remains unsuccessful

According to the information, after its release, the wolf settled in a fixed territory in a rural area in Lower Saxony, more than 150 kilometers away from Hamburg. The animal behaved inconspicuously on its way there and in its new territory. "Throughout its entire route, the animal behaved completely inconspicuously and in a typical wolf manner," said the spokesperson.

Doubts about the bite version

The incident in the shopping arcade occurred about two months ago. According to the environmental authority's current information, it assumes that the wolf bit the woman when she presumably approached the panicked animal to let it out through the automatic glass doors of the arcade.

However, conservationists express doubts about this account. They refer to a witness who is said to have testified that the wolf jumped at the woman but did not bite her – possibly injuring her with its paw.

No signal since the end of May

After the attack, the animal fled through the city center of Hamburg and jumped into the Binnenalster lake, where it was captured by the police. Before that, it had already been in the city for several days. The Hamburg environmental authority then had the wolf taken to the wildlife station in Sachsenhagen before it was released with the collar in a wooded area in the south of Hamburg.

Since the end of May, there has been no sign of life from the animal. Neither the transmitter nor the wolf itself have been found so far. The authority interprets the loss of the signal after such a short operating time as a strong indication that the animal has died. There is currently no definitive certainty, according to the spokesperson.

The circumstances of the disappearance thus remain unclear. The authorities also provided no information about possible causes of death or the exact location of the animal. The search for the wolf and its transmitter will continue, according to the spokesperson.

The case had triggered a debate in Hamburg about how to deal with wolves in urban areas. While the authority classified the incident as an isolated event, animal welfare organizations demanded more clarification on the animal's behavior before and after the attack.