![]() In the 2018/2019 monitoring year, approximately 60 packs of wolves were counted in Germany. ![]() However, there are actors, particularly in rural areas, who perceive the return of the wolf as a threat and express concern about a reduction of their quality of life (van Eeden et al. From the perspective of nature conservation, the recolonization of gray wolves in Germany can be considered a great success. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) had been extinct in Germany for approximately 150 years, and their natural return from Poland and Eastern Europe to Germany and growing population over the last decade have caused intense discussion and conflict. Worldwide, the recolonization of large carnivores such as wolves and bears often results in human–wildlife conflicts (e.g., Kinka and Young 2019 König et al. In addition, linkages to right-wing populist positions and conspiracy narratives that can be interpreted as a consequence of political alienation are found. At the same time, they feel abandoned and dominated by urban perspectives and politics. The discourse indicates that rural actors who are most affected by the wolves’ vicinity have more negative attitudes towards them. The results support the assumption of an urban–rural divide in terms of perspectives and values. The sample comprises articles ( n = 63) and reader comments ( n = 515) over a period of one year (5/2018-5/2019) from six online periodicals in Germany. We conducted a qualitative content analysis. ![]() The aim of this paper is to narrow this gap by means of a media discourse analysis including reader comments in order to provide insights into the constituent elements of this conflict. Nevertheless, the social dimensions of the human–wolf conflict in Germany have been little studied. There are indications that the conflict goes beyond dealing with the wolf population and marks a spatial–cultural divide between urban and rural areas. To develop a widely accepted and just coexistence between humans and wolves, a comprehensive understanding of the conflict is needed. ![]() Given that wolves have been extinct in Germany for approximately 150 years, their return and growing population over the last decade has caused intense discussion and conflict. ![]()
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