A record number of wolves can be shot this winter

The wolves in Sweden are heading for a tough winter. There are many indications that a record number of wolves may be shot since the Riksdag made a decision and the government gave the go-ahead to greatly reduce the population. That would mean that Sweden could have one of the smallest wolf tribes in Europe.

During inventories last winter, the game trackers found approximately 460 wolves within the country’s borders, which is the highest number noted since the inventories started. But the Riksdag decision means that the number must be reduced to between 170 and 270 – a level that derives from a previous Riksdag decision. This is something that pleases the Hunters’ Association, which has long demanded a reduction in the stock.

– We expect that there will be an extensive wolf hunt this winter. The signals from the government are clear. The wolf population must decrease and in order to reverse the trend, we should shoot around 100 wolves this winter, says Gunnar Glöersen, predator manager at the association.

Such a strong shooting would be the highest in Sweden since the 1890s. Behind the Riksdag decision is a report in the environment and agriculture committee that was pushed forward by the Moderates, the Christian Democrats, the Sweden Democrats and the Center Party.

– We are going down to 170 wolves. I think most moderate voters stand for this, says Sten Bergheden (M), responsible for hunting issues in the party.

Too many wolves?

He believes that Sweden has “a disproportionately large wolf tribe”. But if you look at the number of wolves in Europe, Sweden hardly stands out as a wolf-dense country – quite the opposite. Italy has a tribe of 3,300 wolves and Poland, Spain and Romania have 2,500 wolves each. Even the two leading countries within the EU, Germany and France, have more wolves than Sweden. Germany has a population of 500-1,000 wolves and the latest figures from France show around 625 animals. Bulgaria, Greece, Slovakia and Latvia also have a larger number. In addition, the tribes are significantly denser than in Sweden, according to the researchers.

If the population in Sweden was reduced to 170, we would end up in 19th place in Europe in terms of the number of wolves.

– It would of course be strange if Sweden had one of the smallest wolf populations in Europe, says Guillaume Chapron, French predator researcher working at the Swedish University of Agriculture (SLU).

He believes that one of the reasons why France has more wolves than Sweden is that the conflicts with the hunters are not so great in France.

– There, the problems are primarily conflicts with the sheep farmers. But the courts in France have also interpreted the law more in favor of nature conservation than is the case in Sweden, he says.

“Populist election pork”

The wolf has increased greatly in numbers throughout Europe since the 1970s. Now the number is 17,500-20,000 (Russia, Ukraine and Belarus not included). The increase has been particularly noticeable in countries that were completely devoid of wolves for a long time. Even in purely agricultural countries like the Netherlands and Denmark, there are now reproducing wolves.

The Liberals have a different position on the issue than the other bourgeois parties. It is believed that it is the research that will determine what level the wolf tribe should be at. The Riksdag should not set any numbers, and it is critical that M, KD, SD, C and S acted as they did.

– It is purely populist election pork, says Jakob Olofsgård, member of the Liberals in the environment and agriculture committee. He believes that the EU will react if the wolf population is reduced to 170 animals.

– We will probably be fined, he says.

He believes that 300 wolves should be a minimum level. That’s the number the researchers arrived at in 2015. And then the tribe must also be genetically strengthened with at least one immigrant from the east every five years.

The dogs big problem

But Gunnar Glöersen is of the opinion that it is not possible to have as many wolves as Sweden has now.

– You have to consider that Germany has significantly denser game populations than we do. This means that you can have more wolves. I think we have to take into account the problems we have in Sweden. The wolves have a negative effect on hunting. They kill hunting dogs and also affect the yield from the elk tribe, he says.

Benny Gäfvert, responsible for predator issues at WWF, believes, however, that it will be very difficult to achieve such an extensive hunt as the hunters want.

– I don’t think they really know what they are doing. The alarm bells will ring in the EU if we start shooting lots of wolves, he says.

The big problem according to all assessors is that the wolves have killed dogs, which causes a lot of bad blood in hunting circles.

– That is the big question. In Sweden, we have a hunting culture with free-running dogs, which is not found in the same way in France and Germany. Therefore, the conflict is less there, he says.

Facts

Wolves in Europe

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