Flag line. Photo from Rovviltets Røst

Posted by the Team of the Animal of the Year
Estonian  text 12.01.2020

 

Once more we begin the year with disappointing news from Norway. Despite the very small wolf population there the government decided to limit the number of wolves also in the so called Wolf Zone where only three flocks live.

 

 

As of December 10 last year 66-73 wolves live in Norway. Of these however only 47-57 keep fully within the borders of Norway, while  the territories of the remainder are partly also on Swedish land. Norway has decided that their wolves may only live in the so called wolf zone (which makes up about 5% of  Norwegian territory), outside which wolves are not permitted. Last year  the Norwegian government shocked with a first-time decision to reduce the number of flocks living in the wolf zone.

The protests that reached an international level did not stop the Norwegian government from making the same decision this year. Again it is permitted to shoot one of the three flocks living in the wolf zone (the Letjenna flock) as well as to shoot 26 wolves living outside the wolf zone.

To prevent the possibility that animal and environmental organisations would have time to go to court and temporarily stop the execution of the decision at least until the decision of the court the Norwegian government made a particularly clever move: information about the decision to shoot the whole wolf pack was issued on December 31, 2019. The wolf hunt period started at midnight on January 1.

Nearly 30 hunters decided to welcome the new decade by hunting wolves instead of celebrating New Year. At midnight they started arranging 17 kilometres of flag line. Later more hunters joined them and by noon on January 1 already 4 wolves out of a 6-member flock had been shot: a female, a male and two of their one-year old cubs. Altogether about 180 hunters took part in the New Year wolf hunt. According to them planning  the grand hunt began already two and a half month earlier.

Thus the Norwegian government allows wolf hunting in the wolf zone despite the requirements on a strict protection in accordance with the Berne convention and the Nature Conservation Act. The Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment has set  a target of 4-6 litters per year to manage the wolf population. Since this target was achieved the Ministry considers the shooting of the wolves justified. Particularly seeing that the shooting of the wolves was the ”only” possible method of mitigating conflicts associated with wolves in society.

 

The lead male of the Letjenna pack. Photo from  Rovviltets Røst

 

It is extremely sad that the target of the Norwegian government is to keep the wolf population in a critically endangered level. Also surprising is the argument that this decision would alleviate conflicts in society  – for some reason in this conflict the party that wants stronger protection for wild animals is ignored. Studies show that the majority of inhabitants in Norway want a vital wolf population in Norwegian nature .

The Norvegian animal welfare organisation  NOAH will file a lawsuit because according to their assessment the decisions of the government (in this year as well as the previous) are illegal under the Berne convention and the Nature Conservation Act .