Sweden allows killing of almost 10% of the wolf population
Sweden allows killing of almost 10% of the wolf population
Sweden started his annual wolf hunt this week and allows the killing of almost 10% of the endangered wolf population. Conservationists express concerns about this controversial policy.
Wolves in Sweden: A controversial hunting policy
Since 2010, Sweden has allowed the hunt for wolves based on a licensed quota. Conservationists argue that this contradicts the laws of the European Union and have submitted complaints to the EU Commission that has already announced that it has announced the compliance with Sweden.
return of the wolves
wolves were hunted in the 1970s until extermination, but gradually settled in the Northern European country again, supported by the EU protection legislation. Now the Swedish government allows 30 of the estimated 375 wolves to be killed, leading security concerns for rural residents and cattle owners.
reduction of the wolf population
This is part of the government effort to drastically reduce the total number of wolves in the country - from an earlier minimum population from 300 to 170. This minimum number is referred to by the Swedish environmental protection authority as a "favorable reference value".
The protection level of the wolves
Despite the status of the wolf as "highly threatened" in the Swedish red list Monitoring the extent of extinction of species in the Nordic country, the concerns have increased. Last month, the committee of the Bern-Committees , belonging to the 49 countries and the European Union, for a proposal of the EU, the protection status of the wolves of "strictly protected" to reduce "protected".
contradiction by conservationists
The status "strictly protected" meant that wolves were not allowed to be killed or caught on purpose. With the downgrading, Member States is granted more "flexibility" in the administration of their local wolf populations. The WWF has
conservationists fear that a decline in wolf population could lead to an increased risk of genetic problems within the population. "A country with 10 million people, which is comparable to our area of 450,000 square kilometers, should be one of the richest countries per capita in the world, should have an appropriate population of our wild animals," said Staffan Widstrand, Managing Director of the Nature Conservation Organization Wild Wonders, compared to Cnn.
he accused the Swedish government of representing an “anti-life attitude” and pursuing a “much more aggressive anti-predator policy” than previous governments. In 2024, licenses for the hunt for 486 of the Bären were issued, for example Represent 20% of their population. Sweden's Minister of Rural Affairs, Peter Kullgren, told CNN that the government was working on changing the country's wolf policy since taking office in 2022. However, some conservationists believe that the wolves are used as a political means of pressure. The negative attitude towards wolves also grows elsewhere in Europe. A pony that belonged to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was killed by a wolf in 2022. She commented in 2023 and explained that "the concentration of wolf packs in some European regions is a real danger to cattle and potentially also for humans.". The Minister of Rural Affairs Gull Gren clears that the wolves influence Swedish society "significantly more than before". However, Beatrice Rindevall, the chairwoman of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, points out that there has been no wolf attack on people since 1821. "The government stirs up unnecessary fears," she added. Orrebrant, the chairman of the Swedish predator association, warns that the decision of the EU committee, which will come into force on March 7, could also empower countries such as Germany, Italy or Spain, similar to Sweden. In parts of Northern Europe, self-sufficiency is becoming increasingly important in view of the Ukraine War. For cattle breeders who work in food production, this national agenda offers additional incentive to reduce the population of larger predators in Sweden. "The wolf is a difficult animal that can be used to live with," explains Magnus Rydholm from the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management. He believes that the licensed hunt for wolves is a necessary measure to protect cattle. Finally, bark valley is concerned about the message that is sent to other countries: a highly developed country like Sweden takes one, as it calls it, in the area of nature conservation. "How can we ask other countries to protect animals such as tigers, lions and elephants while we are unable to live together with wolves?" The dangers of a decline in the wolf population
political considerations
public security and wolf length
wolves in Europe: a growing challenge
request for a balanced approach
A look into the future
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