Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
The Swedish government will significantly reduce the wolf population, killing half of the four hundred animals living in the country within the year, although this violates EU directives. Agriculture Minister Anna Karen Saderberg, speaking on state television, said the number of wolves was growing every year and that killing some animals would achieve the goal set by parliament, recalling that the government had already consulted with the State Environmental Protection Agency on the ideal size of the population.
In the past, the agency estimated that there should be no less than 300 wolves in Sweden and that their population must be constantly enriched with new arrivals in order to remain viable and not be weakened by inbreeding. The majority of Parliament, however, has been in favor of killing wolves so that they do not exceed 170 animals, which is the threshold set by the EU. in the Conservation of Species and Habitats Directive.
The aim is to reduce the population of 400 animals currently living in the country - Disagreements over the number.
Environmental groups, on the other hand, estimate that the wolf population should not fall below 300 animals, as the Swedish habitat can withstand even a thousand wolves. In fact, they accuse the Stockholm government of giving in to the powerful lobby of hunters who claim that wolves eat moose and that they pose a danger to their dogs.
In line with that, the representative of the International Fund for Nature (WWF) Benny Galfert, a specialist in predators, who expressed his opposition, pointing out that the numbers favored by the Swedish government lack a scientific basis. "Evolution in Nature is completely unpredictable and the number 170 is too low. "We are concerned about genetic issues that will worsen when the animals are reduced." The Minister of Agriculture, however, expressed her support for her compatriots who "live close to the wolves and are anxious for the future, and to the breeders who are affected by the current situation."
