This German tale of a big bad wolf and the most powerful woman in Europe began on a warm night in rural Lower Saxony on September 1 in 2022. 

A gray wolf was prowling across farmland, desperate for dinner and came across a cute 30-year-old pony. It didn't stand a chance. This was an animal death that would not normally make the headlines. 

However, this was Dolly, whose carcass lay in the grass 100 meters from the home of Ursula von der Leyen.

The president of the European Commission, a keen equestrian and mother of seven, said at the time: "The whole family is horribly distressed by the news."

A month later, this wolf known as GW950m was put on a kill list. Even though wolves are a protected species in Europe, governments have allowed their elimination under special circumstances. 

With the help of DNA, GW950m was deemed to be involved in killing another five horses, 47 sheep, four cattle and three goats. An investigation showed though that this wolf was actually put on the hit list a day before the demise of her beloved Dolly. 

Since then, Von der Leyen has been accused of waging a personal vendetta against the wild animal. Last year, she signaled a willingness to relax EU protections against wolves, which she said were a "real danger" to livestock.

Leonie Vestering, a Dutch MP from the Party for the Animals, said: "Are we going to allow her to abuse her power for a personal payback because one of her ponies fell victim to the wolf? If the wolf is no longer protected, there is a good chance that it will be exterminated by hunting, as it was in the 19th century."

After recovering from the brink of disappearing from Europe under strict protection rules, wolves are now facing the loss of some of their protections within the bloc. 

They have been a "strictly protected" species in the EU since 1979, allowing "the animal to be killed or captured only when it poses a threat to livestock, health or safety." They now don't have this protection. On Wednesday, 27 EU member states voted to downgrade this to simply "protected.” 

Tight hunting rules will be relaxed and follows a growing number of complaints by farmers that wolves were devastating their livestock. 

The total population of wolves in the EU was estimated to be around 20,300 in 2023, with breeding packs present in 23 countries.

German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke celebrated the vote, claiming it was "justifiable from a nature conservation perspective and necessary from the point of view of livestock farmers.”

Environmental groups are furious. They admit wolf numbers had bounced back but said populations had not yet fully recovered.

"We see this as a proposal that is politically motivated and not at all based on science," said Sabien Leemans, senior policy officer at environmental group WWF.

A letter signed by 300 environmental groups argued there was no evidence that cutting wolf numbers through hunting would have any impact on livestock attacks.

An EU report in 2023 supported this view. It found that only 0.065 percent of the bloc's sheep population had been killed by wolves and there were no reports of fatal wolf attacks on humans for 40 years.

Could there be anything else in the sights of the EU? The WWF's Leemans has warned the vote risked opening a "Pandora's box" with some countries already pushing to ease hunting rules for brown bears too.

EU commission spokesman Adalbert Jahnz played down fears of other animals being dragged into the firing line. He said: "What we're talking about is the wolf, and only the wolf.”

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday