Wildlife authorities in Hedmark County, eastern Norway, have granted hunters permission to shoot three wolves that have been roaming in the area. Environmentalists have appealed to the state ministry for environmental protection (Miljøverndepartementet).
The hunt, aimed at reducing damage that can be done by the wolves, is scheduled to take place between February 16 and March 31. It applies to three wolves in two zones that encompass parts of Hedmark, Akershus and Østfold counties.
Friends of the Earth Norway (Norges Naturvernforbund) argues in its appeal that the deaths of three wolves in the two zones mean those zones won’t achieve goals set for the wolf population. The existing wolf packs in the area aren’t intact, they claim, and that can hinder breeding.
Another environmental group, Norges Miljøvernforbundet, also has complained that the pending hunt threatens genetic variation among the wolves.
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