Ursula von der Leyen’s horse lies dead in a pasture

A picture of the body of Ursula von der Leyen’s prized horse lying dead in a pasture has reemerged, as she is forced to deny ordering a wolf cull in revenge.

Dolly, a pony belonging to the European Commission’s President, was savaged by a wolf at her home in rural Lower Saxony, northwest Germany, on September 1. 

Ms von der Leyen, a keen equestrian, said at the time that her family were ‘horribly distressed’ by the incident that happened just 300ft from their home. 

DNA evidence identified the culprit as a wolf linked a dozen other killings. Officials had previously issued a bounty for it to be shot but the wolf was never caught. 

Now, the incident has returned to the headlines amid reports that officials in Brussels have their sights on all the wolves across the continent.

Pictured: The body of Ursula von der Leyen’s prized horse, named Dolly, is seen lying dead in a pasture in Germany after it was savaged by wolves in September last year

Ms von der Leyen, a keen equestrian, said at the time that her family were ‘horribly distressed’ by the incident that happened just 300ft from their home. She has been forced to deny that she is pushing for a continent-wide cull of wolves after the incident

A photograph taken in September at the time of Dolly’s death shows the body of the pony lying in long grass in the middle of a pasture. 

The scene was discovered the morning after the attack on the well-guarded compound, at the end of a road on the estate.  

Hannover officials placed the bounty on the wolf, known as GW950m, on account of it being behind the deaths of 12 other animals. The bounty expires on January 31.

It is illegal across Europe to kill or catch wolves, except under special circumstances – as is with the case of the culprit behind the death of Dolly.

However, her death could have wider implications for wolves across Europe.

Shortly after Dolly’s death, Mrs von der Leyen ordered EU officials to carry out analysis into the dangers posed by wolves.

This was seen to have been done under pressure from powerful agricultural lobby and her fellow CDU politicians in Germany, who want the rules to be relaxed.

In November, she wrote to members of her German People’s Party saying: ‘The Commission recognises that the return of the wolf and its growing numbers lead to conflict.’ That same month, centre-Right members of the European Parliament secured a resolution calling for laws protecting wolves to be eased. 

DNA evidence identified the culprit behind the pony’s death as a wolf linked a dozen other killings. Officials had previously issued a bounty for it to be shot but the wolf was never caught

Officials in Hannover said the bounty had been placed on GW950m’s head before Dolly the pony’s death.

‘A request for a special exception to the protected species laws was submitted and evaluated according to the relevant legal requirements,’ Christina Kreutz, a spokeswoman for the region of Hannover, said at the time.

The authorities declined to comment on whether Ms von der Leyen was involved.

In an email to Politico, Ms Kreutz said: ‘The attack on Ms. von der Leyen’s pony was not the reason. The publication noted that the initial request was made on August 31 – the day before Dolly was killed. 

A Commission spokesman denied that the President was involved. ‘The Commission and the president are not involved in any way in the decision,’ he told Politico.

Environmental campaigners accuse Mrs von der Leyen of stoking a culture war over the wolf, with some linking her position to the death of Dolly.

Pictured: A car belonging to German officials is seen outside of Ursula von der Leyen’s family home in Germany in September, after her family’s prized pony was killed by a wolf

They said it was good that ‘after being on the brink of extinction, large carnivores have been making a remarkable comeback to Europe’s landscapes’.

Speaking to the Telegraph, deputy director of Birdlife Europe Ariel Brunner accused Europe’s Right-wing parties of stoking up a culture war over the issue of wolves.

‘Give me a break. The laws are good,’ Mr Brunner said. ‘The derogations are there. If there are problem animals, you can shoot them. What are they talking about?

‘This is a low-level political operation conducted like the culture wars in the US. Politicians are looking for red-button topics where you can divide people into us and them.’

But European farmers have long-complained about wolves killing their livestock, and thus threatening their livelihood. Pekka Pesonen, secretary general of agricultural group Copa-Cogeca, claimed wolf attacks are forcing farmers to quit.

According to The Telegraph, more than 10,000 sheep are killing every year in France alone. Pesonen said wolf populations need to be managed.