Sweden’s Wolf Hunt Begins Despite EU Law Protections
Sweden’s wolf hunt is set to start on Thursday, with the aim of halving the country’s wolf population. The hunt, which is heavily criticized by environmental groups, will target five wolf families, totaling 30 wolves. This decision comes despite the European Union’s Berne convention, which prohibits the decline of protected species, including the wolf.
The Swedish government is seeking to reduce the wolf population from its current 375 individuals to a minimum of 170, which is considered a favorable conservation status. This move is part of a broader trend in the EU to loosen rules around wolf persecution, with the European Commission planning to revise the habitats directive to reflect the increasing wolf population in alpine and forested regions of Scandinavia and central Europe.
However, environmentalists and wildlife experts have expressed strong concerns about the hunt, citing the harm it will cause to the wolf population. The Swedish Carnivore Association has stated that instead of increasing the number of wolves that can be shot, farmers can take preventive measures such as using electric fencing to protect their livestock.
The European Commission’s plan to revise the habitats directive is expected to enter into force in 2025, making it easier for countries to allow more wolves to be culled. Critics argue that this will have negative consequences not only for the wolves but for all wildlife in Europe.
The Swedish government’s decision to disregard the wolf’s special protection status and allow for a yearly licensed quota hunt has previously been criticized by the EU Commission, leading to an infringement procedure against Sweden.
In a statement, the chair of the Swedish Carnivore Association, Magnus Orrebrant, said, “We are very critical of the path that the EU is now taking, downgrading the protection status of the wolf. If the EU follows up the latest Berne convention decision by changing the wolf’s protection status in the habitat directive, the result will be very negative not only for the wolves but for all wildlife in Europe.”
