Rewilding Earth Podcast – Episode 158 Summary

Europe’s Big Three – Wolves, Bears, Lynx

Part 1: The Wolf’s Uneasy Return to Germany
Date: October 24, 2025
Host: Jack Humphrey
Guest Contributors: Ilke Reinhardt, Rebecca Paetz, Lea Wirk, Stefan Kaska, local residents and others

Overview

This episode launches a three-part series exploring the resurgence of Europe’s ‘big three’ carnivores: the wolf, bear, and lynx. In Part 1, producer Julius Purcell and host Jack Humphrey trace the dramatic return of wolves to Germany after their 150-year absence. The story unfolds in post-Cold War East Germany: deindustrialization, human depopulation, comprehensive EU nature protection laws, and new social divisions amid the wolf’s comeback. The wolf’s return becomes a case study in rewilding success and an example of cultural, political, and emotional contest over nature, rural life, and national identity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Remarkable Return of Wolves to Germany

• Historic Absence and Comeback
  • Wolves were eradicated from Germany in the mid-18th century (last shot circa 1741).
  • After reunification and EU protection (Habitats Directive, 1992), numbers surged from zero in 1990s to over 1600 today (06:39–07:13).
  • Saxony alone now has almost 40 packs (00:02–00:22; 07:35–07:48).
• Changing Landscapes and Opportunity
  • Collapse of East German industry led to depopulation; vacant lands became entry points for wildlife (06:39–07:24).
  • Wolves recolonized from Poland once anti-predator policies shifted.

“As East Germany started losing human population, it started to acquire a new wolf population. There are now nearly 40 packs in Saxony alone.” – Jack Humphrey (00:02)

2. Wolves as Political and Cultural Symbols

• City vs. Countryside Divide
  • Wolves represent hope for some, but a threat to traditional rural life for others (07:35–08:17).
  • Used as a proxy in urban-rural and elite-ordinary people tensions.
• Wolves & Immigration Debate
  • The wolf’s return became entangled in debates about immigration and German identity, especially post-2015 refugee influx (“German versus foreigner” debate – 04:46–05:04).
• Right-Wing Narratives
  • AfD politician Carsten Hilse likens wolf reintroduction to an imposed experiment—echoing anti-migrant rhetoric (10:38–11:16).
  • Political “wolf politics” fueled by emotion, not fact (18:49–19:52).

“Sometimes you really can change the word migrant or wolf in the debate.” – Local Resident/Sheep Farmer (04:52)

“Right wing parties have used the wolf as a metaphor for the endangerment of the German way of life. ...to save German womanhood from both migrants and wolves.” – Rebecca Paetz (18:49)

3. On-the-Ground Science: Studying and Living with Wolves

• Lupus Institute Fieldwork
  • Jack explores wolf territory with Lea Wirk of Lupus, an institute that monitors wolves and debunks myths (05:39–09:19).
  • Camera traps, scat analysis, and mapping wolf territories are core to understanding population growth.
    • Repeated emphasis on the importance of hard evidence vs. anecdote.
• Ecological Realities
  • High wolf density in Germany due to abundant prey compared to Sweden or Scandinavia (13:51–14:13).
  • Wolves “just live their lives”—not inherently a threat to people (14:13–14:18).

“If you see a wolf, you’re like, oh my God, what is he planning? What is he doing? And … it’s really strange that people see wolves so differently.” – Ilke Reinhardt (12:57)

4. The EU Habitats Directive and Favourable Conservation Status

• Legislative Background
  • EU’s 1992 Habitats Directive underpinned wolf recovery.
  • Recent political pushback has led to downgrading wolf protection across Europe (20:48–21:32).
• Core Conservation Concepts
  • “Favourable conservation status” goes beyond numbers—requires broad, healthy, stable populations.
  • Critics oversimplify by focusing only on wolf counts.

“It just means that the animal or the species, they are really playing the ecological role that they should play in a very large area so that it’s really safe even in a hundred years.” – Ilke Reinhardt (21:53)

5. Conflicts and Coexistence: Challenges and Solutions

• Livestock Losses
  • EU estimates wolves kill 48,000 sheep/goats yearly (0.07% of total stock) (23:25).
  • Compensation and fencing work, but quiet success receives little media attention.
• Symbol of Cultural Choices
  • The wolf is a litmus test: do people want to solve problems and adapt, or eradicate perceived obstacles? (24:18)
• Lessons from Poland
  • In Poland, wolf encounters generate less political heat and more pragmatic coexistence.
  • Surveyed rural opinions often neutral or positive, in contrast to heated German debate (26:53–27:41).

“For them it is understandable that wolves, they have like right to live and it’s not like struggle against them.” – Vavzenik (28:17)

6. Hope and the Next Generation

• Changing Attitudes
  • Younger generations and some communities exhibit enthusiasm or pride in sharing landscapes with wolves.
  • Positive educational outreach, like Stefan Kaska’s programs for schoolchildren, are bridging understanding (29:38–31:11).
• Reframing the Narrative
  • Wolf is neither villain nor hero—just an animal reclaiming ecological space.

“My job is not to say only the positive things. My job is to give information that the people have a little bit knowledge and then they can think what they want about wolves. … He is not bad or good. He is an animal.” – Stefan Kaska (30:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Wolves as Political Symbols:
  “German versus foreigner. And sometimes you really can change the word migrant or wolf in the debate.” – Local Resident/Sheep Farmer (04:46–05:04)
• Habitat as Opportunity:
  “As East Germany started losing human population, it started to acquire a new wolf population.” – Jack Humphrey (00:02)
• Wolves in Populist Rhetoric:
  “The settlement of wolves and the migration crisis show many parallels. We see here a unique experiment to transform a mono ethnic and monocultural democracy into a multi ethnic one.” – Carsten Hilse, paraphrased by Jack Humphrey (16:38–18:16)
• Scientific Perspective:
  “If you see a wolf, you’re like, oh my God, what is he planning? … It’s really strange that people see wolves so differently.” – Ilke Reinhardt (12:57)
• Ecological Belonging:
  “If you have roe deer and red deer and wild boar, you also need the wolf. It just belongs there.” – Ilke Reinhardt (23:03)
• A Culture of the Wild:
  “There’s more of a culture of the wild.” – Jack Humphrey (29:17)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Wolf Return: Historical/Political Framing (00:02–04:14)
• Field Research With Lupus Institute (05:31–10:15)
• Legislation and Conservation Status (13:29–15:41)
• Wolf & Immigration Politics (16:37–19:52)
• Debates over Livestock Losses and Real Ecological Impact (23:03–24:01)
• Contrasts in Polish Attitudes (25:02–27:41)
• Stefan Kaska’s Wolf Education Efforts (29:38–31:11)

Conclusion

Germany’s wolf comeback, enabled by sweeping post-Cold War conservation policies, is a beacon of rewilding success, but it also catalyzes cultural and political conflict. Wolves have become avatars for deeper social anxieties over identity, rural decline, and Europe’s shifting values. Against this backdrop, a new generation—more informed, more open—seems poised to shape the future of coexistence.

The wolf’s uneasy return is both a test and a symbol: of what it takes to “rewild” not just land, but hearts and minds as well.