A wolf has killed 30 sheep on a farm in Kölingared in Ulricehamn municipality. Last May, a similar wolf attack occurred in the same area where another farmer lost 20 of his sheep. Now the county administrative board in Västra Götaland has taken a quick decision on protective hunting in the area.
– We are a little shocked. They were our breeding stock and now we are without them. We have some lambs, but we don’t know if we will continue, says animal owner Malena Klasson.
It was on Friday morning that sheep farmers Malena and Björn Klasson discovered the around 30 dead sheep lying scattered on the farm, located between Mullsjö and Ulricehamn. Although they are sad and shocked, the incident does not come as a surprise.
– I guess it didn’t come as a surprise because you live in this area where it happens every now and then only a few kilometers away. You wonder who will be hit next, says Björn Klasson.
“It’s very boring”
On Friday afternoon, the county administration was on site at the farm in Kölingared to make its assessment of the incident, while taking DNA samples from the dead sheep, says Björn Klasson, who now wants to see that the “problem wolves” disappear.
– People like their animals and think it’s fun to keep the pastures open. We also have the task of the county board to look after the land, he says.
– You try to manage the supervision, but you may not be able to keep up if it happens again. This time it happened to us, another time it happens to the neighbor. It is very sad.
The County Administrative Board grants protective hunting
Now the County Administrative Board in Västra Götaland has decided on a protective hunt in the area, a hunt that will last for about 24 hours.
– We have decided on protective hunting and hunters go with tracking dogs to find the animal that made the attack. Hopefully the animal will be found and killed, says Anita Bergstedt, head of the game unit at the county administration in Västra Götaland.
Last May this year, a sheep farmer lost 20 of his sheep in a similar wolf attack in the area. When asked why wolves have not been tracked in the area before, she replies:
– According to the legislation, the wolf is strictly protected, so a lot is required before the county administrative board can make a decision on protective hunting. We don’t have that many wolves and the legislation gives them a lot of protection.
The reason why the protection hunt only lasts a day has to do with the fact that the wolf is a wild animal that is constantly on the move. Nor would any animal owner benefit from culling wolves that do not attack, says Anita Bergstedt.
She advises all farmers who are worried to look over their fences.
– It is very important that you look over your fences so that you have good current and that it is closed around the entire paddock. For example, you cannot have the paddock open to water, but there must be a fence around the entire paddock. Water doesn’t stop a wolf.