Conservation news snapshot Mar 2006

CHINA: Wolves, long absent from the western province of Xinjiang Uyghur have reappeared and have allegedly killed 266 sheep during the last year.  The numbers of wolves are not known but there appear to be several packs.  Local shepherds are asking the government to allow the wolves to be killed but there is a strong environmental lobby which is opposed to such action as it is believed that this would be detrimental to the area's ecology.  Similar ecological problems are being encountered in Shaanxi province near the Mongolian border where the protected 'blue sheep' are destroying grass lands and it has been proposed that the introduction of wolves would help to cull numbers of blue sheep in a natural manner.

FINLAND: Finnish wildlife authorities have advised that there is evidence of wolf activity in Uusumaa, the country's most densely populated province and there have also been confirmed sightings of five wolves in the town of Nummi-Pusula  which is located about 50 km from Helsinki.  The Finnish government is about to review its wolf population management policy after the European Commission initiated legal action against Finland for issuing wolf hunting licences too easily.

ISRAEL: Ranchers in Western Galilee have claimed that wolf attacks on livestock are on the increase. A parks authority spokesman stated that there are currently a number of wolves roaming the area. The guidelines issued by the authority state that they must be notified of an attack before any action is taken as wild dogs can easily be mistaken for wolves.  If it transpires that the attack is by a wolf, then it is recommended that the animal is either shot or trapped.

NORWAY: Wildlife experts say that the wolf population is recovering in the south eastern forests of Hedmark. This is good news as the Norwegian wolf population has been teetering on the brink of extinction. Politicians claim that they are committed to protect wolves but the continuance of legal and (failure to discourage) illegal hunting threatens their survival.  However two packs have been tracked in the western parts of Trysil and it is estimated that each pack has about 12 wolves,

POLAND: The Polish Hunting Association has requested that their government sanction the shooting of 60 wolves per annum.  This is based on the tenuous premise that hunting of wolves in Finland and Greece - fellow EEC countries - is legal, so why not in Poland.  There is also disagreement regarding the number of Polish wolves with scientists estimating that there are around 550 animals whilst, somewhat typically, hunters say that the number is around 1,300.  Environmentalists and biologists have appealed to people to write to the Minister of Environment asking him to refuse the hunter's requests.  It has been pointed out that killing 60 animals out of a total of 550 is over 10 per cent of the population and this could result in the eventual eradication of wolves from Poland.

RUSSIA: It has been alleged that a lumberjack in the Urals used a chainsaw to kill a wolf after it attacked him. The man said that the wolf attacked him from behind and bit his leg. When asked why he thought the attack had taken place as wolves do not normally attack humans - especially with working chainsaws in their hands, he said that the animal must have been cold and hungry and had forgotten his fear of humans.

SWEDEN: A Swedish farmer is currently serving a 6 month jail sentence for shooting a wolf which was allegedly preying on his flock.  A group of around 3000 farmers have protested against legislation which only permits the killing of so called problem wolves.  The Swedish wolf population is now estimated to be around 150 animals but this figure is contested by conservation groups. However it is believed that between 12 and 15 litters were born last year.  The Swedish government has said it will review the situation vis a vis hunting when the number reaches 200.  Wolves can also currently be shot if they stray into built up areas and some concerns were raised when a wolf was spotted in a south east suburb of Stockholm.  The animal is still at large.

SWITZERLAND: Conservationists have been angered by a request from the Swiss government to the Council of Europe to change the status of the wolf from strictly protected to simply protected.  This would enable a culling programme to take place.  The World Wildlife Fund is supporting the conservationist lobby and it has pointed out that there are probably only a handful of wolves in the country and there is no evidence of them breeding.  Farmers have accused wolves of killing sheep in mountain pastures but the WWF has stated that the sheep killers are invariably dogs.

USA: Alaska: The controversy regarding the shooting of wolves from aircraft is still ongoing.  Hunters are petitioning against any ban on an activity which has resulted in the death of 400 wolves since 2003.  The hunters base their argument on the predation allegedly caused by wolves - even though evidence suggests a much higher predation level by bears which are not hunted from aircraft. The Alaskan Department of Fish and Game has set a target of 400 wolf kills for this year and has so far issued about 100 permits to pilot/hunters.  The aerial hunting was temporarily stopped when a superior court judge ruled that the Alaskan state action was illegal but this ruling has been suspended pending an appeal.

Alaskan scientists have been working to eradicate lice infestations in wolf packs but this only because the trappers complain that the lice ruin the wolves’ fur and the pelt has no value.

USA: Idaho: The state government has now taken over the management of wolves from the U S Fish and Wildlife Service.  This will enable them to issue hunting permits to ranchers who allege that their livestock are being killed by wolves.  Restrictions regarding hunting are still in place under the Endangered Species Act but there is pressure for this legislation to be lifted.  Opposition to the proposed change in the law has come from Defenders of Wildlife who reimburse ranchers who have suffered loss of livestock - often paying more than the market value of the animal.  Opposition has also come from local Indian tribesmen who argue that the state should be restoring habitat and not killing wolves.

USA: Montana: It has been reported that the state's population of wolves is now above 1000 - ten years after their reintroduction.  This is in sharp contrast to neighbouring Wyoming where numbers have drastically reduced allegedly due to disease.

USA: New Mexico: The number of Mexican wolves has declined for the third year in succession and it is thought that there are now only about 35 animals.  It appears likely that the decline will continue as 8 wolves were shot or trapped in 2005 - including two breeding pairs. Local conservation groups are trying to persuade the state government to allow wolves to roam freely within certain boundaries and to implement a captive breeding with subsequent release programme.

USA: Yellowstone: A large number of cubs, thought to be about 32%, born in 2005 are believed to have died from parvo virus.  Vaccination has been considered but as this would mean capturing every wolf in every pack, it is not thought to be a viable option.  The number of wolves in Yellowstone is estimated to be 118 - a decline from 171 in the previous year.