Livestock

International protest against wolf killing in Norway

Last month, thousands of people protested all across Europe to stop the killing of the endangered wolf in Norway. The Norwegian Minister of Environment allowed the culling of 42 wolves this winter. As the official count in 2017 identified only 52-56 wolves, the culling would almost entirely eradicate the wolf from Norway. To kill this many wolves is strictly against the Norwegian law and against international obligations under the Bern Convention.

Please also read: Worldwide protest on 19 -20 January against the Norwegian Government

It is strange that while attempts to reduce the population by killing a single wolf is punishable with a prison sentence, the state itself can reduce the same population by 42 individuals.

says Ragnhild Sollund, Prof. in Criminology from University of Oslo

Rally recap

The biggest rally and protests against the killing of wolves took place all across Norway. The organisation NOAH led the protests and initiatives. On January 20th, more than 4000 people protested. Please watch a short video of the protest in Oslo:

Animals should be protected against us, not the other way around.

says Harald Kryvi, Prof. in Zoology from University of Bergen

Big losses despite protests

Hunters targeted the two main wolf packs in Norway, the Osdal and Julussa wolf pack. By the end of January, hunters killed 16 individuals from these two wolf packs. In the Hedmark region, just north of Oslo, hunters killed another seven wolves. This makes the total number of killed wolves 23.

As the season quota is 42, hunters were able to kill already more than 50%. However, the hunting season will last until February 15th. The hunters are now putting pressure on the Minister of Environment to approve a higher quota. This would allow killing of the remaining animals as well. NOAH puts in a lot of effort to stop this process and save the wolves.

Where can the wolves live, if they can’t be in the areas where the Osdal-pack and the Julussa-pack used to be?

says Arne Naevra, member of the Norwegian Parliament

A big thank you

The European Wilderness Society asked all her wildlife-advocates around the world, to sign the petition. The results were astonishing. In a matter of days, more than 1500 of our followers signed the petition. This is a great response from the international community, that the Norwegian government is doing wrong.

But the killing continues. Help us spread the word. We encourage all Wilderness-advocates around the world to send an email to the Minister of Environment, Ola Elvestuen, requesting to stop the killing. Please send and email to this address.

The majority of Norway wants predators, they want the wolf, and it’s time that the government follows the law, listens to the people and stops the hunt.

says Maren Esmark, Director of Nature Protection Society

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