OSLO - Norwegian hunters killed at least one wolf yesterday in their ongoing bid to cull nine wolves despite angry protests against the hunt by environmentalists. Norway, blaming the wolves for killing sheep, is breaking with a policy since the mid-1990s of encouraging the predators to return to their former habitat in south Scandinavia.
Environmentalists denounce it as a major step backwards.
Svein Norberg, a spokesman for the Directorate for Nature Management which approved the cull, told Reuters that the hunters, who began tracking the animals nearly 10 days ago, had made contact with the nine wolves. Legal attempts by environmentalists to appeal or postpone the hunt have proved fruitless. The Norwegian government says wolf stocks are rising too rapidly and that there are 12 wolf packs in southern Scandinavia, or about 120 wolves, above a minimum goal of eight to 10 packs set in the late 1990s. Recipients should seek permission to reprint the article from the source listed above. Reading on line, downloading or other use of this information signifies acceptance of these conditions, and the Full Disclaimer.