Legal challenge takes aim as wolf hunt begins in Sweden
Hunters have already killed at least six wolves in this year’s cull, which began on Tuesday.
Wolf hunting is legal in Sweden and it is closely regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. This season hunters can shoot up to 22 wolves though that quota is divvied up among five different counties in central Sweden.
But the hunt has always been controversial and the Swedish Carnivore Association lodged a complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court, calling on this year’s hunt to be stopped.
This time, the group is questioning the environment agency’s wolf population figures.
“The authorities base their hunting decision on numbers that include numbers that are already dead and we think this is absolutely weird,” the group’s chairman Torbjörn Nilsson tells Radio Sweden.
This season’s hunt will continue until Feburary 15th or until all 22 gray wolves have been shot.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Is climate change making the muskoxen sick on Victoria Island?, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Moose on the loose: Peak crash season approaches in Finland, Yle News
Iceland: Feature Interview – Hunting culture under stress in Arctic, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Grouse declines lead to strict hunting regulations in Arctic Norway, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Are wolves from illegal Russian kennel in Finland?, Yle News
Sweden: More wolves can be culled after Supreme Court decision, Radio Sweden
United States: Lack of sea ice has deep impact on wildlife and upcoming weather in Alaska, Alaska Dispatch News
