Tiger of Sabrodt
Tiger of Sabrodt (German: Tiger von Sabrodt) is the name given to a wolf shot in Lusatia in 1904; the last free-living wolf to be shot within the current borders of Germany prior to 1945.
 | |
| Species | Gray wolf |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Years active | 1904 |
| Known for | Killing livestock |
| Weight | 41 kg (90 lb) |
| Height | 80 cm (31 in) |
| Named after | Village of Sabrodt (part of Elsterheide) where it first appeared |
Life
The wolf had been preying on livestock; the locals referred to it as a raubsüchtiges Ungetüm (ravening monster). There had been no wolves in the area for a long time, so an escaped circus animal was suspected, and it was given the name "Tiger of Sabrodt" after the village of Sabrodt (part of Elsterheide) where it first appeared.
Death
The wolf was shot near the town of Hoyerswerda (then part of Silesia) on 27 February 1904, by a forester who received a 100 mark bounty for killing it. It had broken away from hunters several times and reputedly weighed 41 kilograms (90 lb)[1] and measured 1.60 metres (5 ft 3 in) long and 80 centimetres (31 in) high at the shoulder.[2]
The carcass was mounted and remains on display in the museum in Castle Hoyerswerda.[3] In the meantime wolves have returned to Lusatia, successfully breeding there in 2009.[4]
Legacy
The wolf is the subject of a song titled "Tiger of Sabrod" on the 2007 album Lupus Dei by German Power metal band Powerwolf.
References
- Bethge, Philip (5 November 2001). "Rückkehr des grauen Wanderers". Der Spiegel (in German).
- "Notizen. C. Wolf erlegt in der Lausitz, Reg.-Bez. Liegnitz". Allgemeine Forst und Jagdzeitung (in German). Vol. 80. 1904. p. 312.
- Lorenz, Robert (2008). "Wir bleiben in Klitten": Zur Gegenwart in einem ostdeutschen Dorf. Europäische Ethnologie (in German). Vol. 8. Berlin: Lit. p. 152. ISBN 9783825816445.
- "Verbreitung in Deutschland" (in German). Wolfsregion Lausitz. February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.