Lack of fresh snow halts wolf hunt in Sweden
The on-going wolf hunt in Värmland, Sweden has been paused due to the weather and the lack of new snow.
The conditions on the ground make it difficult for the hunters to tell old wolf tracks from new tracks, and so they will wait until new snow falls before continuing.
Fresh snow is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday.
“The conditions are so bad here in the southern parts, like Gårdsjö and Forshaga, that there is no point hunting”, Gunnar Glöersen from the Hunting Association tells Swedish Radio. “There are loads of old tracks everywhere, so we’ll wait for fresh snow.”
Thirteen of the 24 wolves that can be shot in the licensed cull have already been killed, and the hunt will continue until a new decision on the appeal from hunt opponents is dealt with by the Supreme Administrative Court. If the snow falls soon, the hunt could be over even before the court makes up its mind whether it is legal or not, Glöersen adds.
“Yes, if there is fresh snow this week, then all the wolves will be shot within the week”, he told Swedish Radio in Värmland.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Fighting to protect bird habitat in North America’s boreal forest (SLIDESHOW), Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Rare white elk judged fair game in Finland, protected in Sweden, Yle News
Iceland: Endangered whale meat shipped from Iceland via Halifax, The Canadian Press
Norway: Rapid growth in Svalbard walrus population, Barents Observer
Sweden: Sweden evades EU rules to allow wolf hunt, Radio Sweden
United States: Red foxes conquering Alaska’s North Slope: study, Alaska Dispatch
