Farmer Hans Kiaer is among those who want to see the wolves killed. Wolves were hunted to near extinction in southern Scandinavia until a hunting ban was imposed in the 1970s. Researchers say the wolf population is growing now by at least 25 percent a year. In Osterdal and Rendalen, two valleys of pine forests, rivers and wilderness, people started seeing wolves again in the early 1990s. Luckily, it was a nice wolf and just walked on,'' Rendalen Mayor Erling Myhre.
Farmers complain of wolves killing sheep and pets and walking into farmyards and barns.
In places like Koppang, the main town in Osterdalen, people have spotted wolves in their yards. No humans have been reported injured by wolves in Norway for more than a century, but fear runs deep. Part of is through history, the stories of wolves,'' said psychologist Tore Bjerke. Conservationists say people must learn to live with wolves and to protect their livestock and pets. Mikalsen's team has until April 6 to kill the wolf pack.