4 ms·

This is sad. Although the gray wolf as a species is classifed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the Scandinavian

This is sad. Although the gray wolf as a species is classifed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), the Scandinavian wolf population is classified as 'Engdangered'. Instead of killing wolves, we should be trapping them and redistributing them to help ensure genetic diversity in isolated populations like Scandinavia's.

krona 10y ago
> we should be trapping them and redistributing them European wolves routinely travel 60-80km a day for food, and since they are very social (pack oriented) hunters, a lone wolf (forced away from the pack, for what ever reason) can travel many hundreds of kilometers per week in search of other packs, new hunting grounds etc. Meanwhile, Norway is full of hill farming in areas suitable for wolves. I can talk about the livelihoods of people and families that have been decimated by the increase in the wolf population in Sweden, but instead I will say that many of these people would rather risk a jail sentence and hunt them themselves than try to convince the government to do anything about it. > This is sad. Agreed.
- Dylan16807 10y ago
  78 wolves in Norway and 340 in Sweden? If you as a farmer can't handle one wolf per 28 thousand humans, I feel bad for you, but the lives of those wolves are more important than a slight increase in farming profits. This is not wolf life vs. human life.
  - marvin 10y ago
    Farming in Norway is largely unprofitable anyway. All West Norwegian farmers I have talked to consider it an expensive hobby. Most Norwegian farming is only economically viable due to government subsidies, which have a long tradition due to famine in old history and living memory.
    - digi_owl 10y ago
      Also a cold war policy of being self-sufficient if shit hit the fan. And i think farming did better until we started pumping oil, and the export of that drove the exchange rate out of whack.
  - kqr 10y ago
    It's not that they "can't be handled". It's that locals "handle" wolves by killing them. Authorities fear all wolves will get killed eventually, unless they are killed systematically and in an organised fashion.
    - Dylan16807 10y ago
      I mean handling the losses. The way I see it, it's morally equivalent to poaching. Sure, kill that animal if this is really the only way you can eat. Otherwise expect a big fine. And in a western industrialized country, it's generally the latter case.
  - weberc2 10y ago
    Yes, and elsewhere governments have had some success with subsidizing farmers for predation losses. There seem to be lots of mitigation measures that could be taken before culling.

krona 10y ago

> we should be trapping them and redistributing them European wolves routinely travel 60-80km a day for food, and since they are very social (pack oriented) hunters, a lone wolf (forced away from the pack, for what ever reason) can travel many hundreds of kilometers per week in search of other packs, new hunting grounds etc. Meanwhile, Norway is full of hill farming in areas suitable for wolves. I can talk about the livelihoods of people and families that have been decimated by the increase in the wolf population in Sweden, but instead I will say that many of these people would rather risk a jail sentence and hunt them themselves than try to convince the government to do anything about it. > This is sad. Agreed.

Dylan16807 10y ago
78 wolves in Norway and 340 in Sweden? If you as a farmer can't handle one wolf per 28 thousand humans, I feel bad for you, but the lives of those wolves are more important than a slight increase in farming profits. This is not wolf life vs. human life.
- marvin 10y ago
  Farming in Norway is largely unprofitable anyway. All West Norwegian farmers I have talked to consider it an expensive hobby. Most Norwegian farming is only economically viable due to government subsidies, which have a long tradition due to famine in old history and living memory.
  - digi_owl 10y ago
    Also a cold war policy of being self-sufficient if shit hit the fan. And i think farming did better until we started pumping oil, and the export of that drove the exchange rate out of whack.
- kqr 10y ago
  It's not that they "can't be handled". It's that locals "handle" wolves by killing them. Authorities fear all wolves will get killed eventually, unless they are killed systematically and in an organised fashion.
  - Dylan16807 10y ago
    I mean handling the losses. The way I see it, it's morally equivalent to poaching. Sure, kill that animal if this is really the only way you can eat. Otherwise expect a big fine. And in a western industrialized country, it's generally the latter case.
- weberc2 10y ago
  Yes, and elsewhere governments have had some success with subsidizing farmers for predation losses. There seem to be lots of mitigation measures that could be taken before culling.