Killing Wolves In Norway
A Norwegian government team killed the fourth of nine wolves ordered felled in a hunt that has outraged conservationists and Swedish officials.
The male wolf was shot from a helicopter on Sunday in Osterdalen, a valley about 125 miles north of the capital, Oslo, the Directorate for Nature Management announced late Sunday.
Wolves have rebounded from near extinction in southern Scandinavia after they were protected in the 1970s. About 100 now roam in 10 to 12 packs in southern Norway and Sweden.
Norway ordered the nine shot after complaints from local farmers of wolves killing livestock and pets, and wandering into farms and villages in a zone designated as wolf-free.
Conservationists and Swedish officials have objected to the hunt, saying there are still so few wolves that killing nearly 10 percent of the stock is irresponsible. Swedish environmental officials have said they want at least 200 wolves to ensure the regional survival of the species.
The hunt began on Feb. 10, and teams of about a dozen hunters plus trackers previously killed three female wolves. The hunters have an April 6 deadline to kill the remaining five.
Emotions have run high over the hunt. Dozens of protesters have camped in the snowy wilderness hoping to disrupt it.
On Monday, newspapers said police were investigating reports that poisoned meat may have been illegally placed in the wolves' territory in hopes of killing the remaining animals.
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