Ursula von der Leyen’s horse lies dead in a pasture after a wolf attack – when she has to refuse the cull order in revenge

A photo of the body of Ursula von der Leyen’s beloved horse lying dead in a pasture has resurfaced as she is forced to deny ordering the killing of wolves in revenge.

Dolly, a pony owned by the president of the European Commission, was attacked by a wolf at her home in rural Lower Saxony, northwest Germany, on September 1.

Ms von der Leyen, a keen horse rider, said at the time that her family were “terribly upset” by the incident, which happened just 100 meters from their home.

DNA evidence identified the perpetrator, as a wolf has been linked to a dozen other murders. Officers had previously put a bounty on his head to shoot him, but the wolf was never caught.

Now the incident is back in the news amid reports that officials in Brussels are targeting all wolves across the continent.

Ms von der Leyen, a keen horse rider, said at the time that her family were “terribly upset” by the incident, which happened just 100 meters from their home. She was forced to deny that she pushed for a global wolf to be eradicated after the incident

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

The crime scene was discovered the morning after the attack in the well-guarded compound at the end of a road on the property.

Officials in Hanover gave the wolf, known as GW950m, the reward for being behind the deaths of 12 other animals. The bonus expires on December 31.

It is illegal across Europe to kill or capture wolves, except in special circumstances – as in the case of the perpetrator behind Dolly’s death.

However, their deaths could have wider implications for wolves across Europe.

Shortly after Dolly’s death, Frau von der Leyen instructed EU officials to carry out analyzes of the threat posed by wolves.

This apparently happened under pressure from the powerful agricultural lobby and their CDU politician colleagues in Germany, who are calling for the rules to be relaxed.

In November, she wrote to members of her German People’s Party: “The Commission recognizes that the return of the wolf and its growing numbers creates conflict.” That same month, center-right members of parliament passed a resolution calling for laws protecting wolves to be relaxed.

DNA evidence identified the culprit behind the pony’s death, as a wolf was linked to a dozen other murders. Officers had previously put a bounty on his head to shoot him, but the wolf was never caught

Hanover officials said the bounty was placed on GW950m’s head before Dolly the pony died.

“An application for a special exemption from species protection legislation has been made and checked according to the relevant legal requirements,” Christina Kreutz, spokeswoman for the Hanover region, said at the time.

Authorities declined to comment on whether 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 first request was made on August 31 – the day before Dolly was killed.

A spokesman for the commission denied that the president was involved. “The Commission and the President are in no way involved in the decision,” he told Politico.

Environmentalists accuse Ms von der Leyen of causing a culture clash over the wolf, with some linking her stance to Dolly’s death.

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

They said it was good that “after being threatened with extinction, large carnivores have made a remarkable comeback in European landscapes”.

Ariel Brunner, deputy director of Birdlife Europe, spoke to the Telegraph and accused Europe’s right-wing parties of inciting a culture war over wolves.

‘Give me a chance. The laws are good,’ says Mr. Brunner. “The differences are there. If there are problem animals, you can shoot them. what are they talking about

“This is a low-level political operation, like the culture wars in the US. Politicians are looking for red buttons where to divide the people into us and them.”

But European farmers have long complained that wolves are killing their livestock and threatening their livelihoods. Pekka Pesonen, general secretary of the agricultural group Copa-Cogeca, claimed attacks by wolves are forcing farmers to stop.

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