Sweden’s biggest wolf hunt in modern times will be ‘disastrous’ for species: Experts
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Loading... - Patricia Turner
- 25 Jan 2023
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Over the next month, 75 out of 460 wolves will be killed as the government attempts to reduce the population
Sweden launched the biggest wolf slaughter in modern times on Monday as nature agencies warned that it could severely harm the population.
The government has given permission to hunters to kill 75 out of the 460 wolves currently roaming the country in an attempt to reduce their numbers, but wildlife organizations argue that Sweden’s wolf population is relatively low compared to Italy, for instance, where there are more than 3,000.
Wildlife activists warn that the decision by the Swedish government could further endanger the species and encourage other European countries to follow suit.
Gunnar Gloersen, game manager at the Swedish Hunters’ Association, said that hunting is “absolutely necessary to slow down the growth of wolves,” The Guardian newspaper reported.
“The wolf pack is the largest we’ve had in modern times,” he noted.
But wildlife organizations say that this violates the Council of Europe’s Bern Convention and they have tried unsuccessfully to appeal the decision, according to the newspaper.
Daniel Ekblom from the Wildlife Management Group of the Nature Conservation Association in Gävleborg told The Guardian that the government does not pay much notice to their findings on endangering the species.
“You get discouraged. There is report after report that the wolf tribe is in big trouble, but (the government doesn’t) take it seriously.”
Marie Stegard, president of the anti-hunting group Jaktkritikerna, told the newspaper that “wolves as apex predators in the food chain are a prerequisite for biodiversity.”
She argued that killing a quarter of the population through hunting will have negative consequences for animals and nature.
This is disastrous for the entire ecosystem, she said, adding the existence of wolves contributes to richer animal and plant life. Read More…
