Posted on July, 18 2001

Oslo, Norway: As another license is issued to cull Norway�s much-maligned wolves, WWF-Norway has questioned the official rationale behind the move.

Rendalen municipality, in Hedmark County, on 18 July issued a license to cull four wolves and hired four hunters to do the job. After 22 sheep were claimed wounded or killed by wolves, the license was issued with an expiration date of the end of this month.

Normally the Directorate for Nature Management (DN) issues these licenses but Rendalen was granted the authority to issue licenses for culling a total of four wolves this spring.

However, there were certain limitations and requirements attached when DN delegated the license authority: only damage caused by the Koppang pack can release a license to cull from Rendalen; only wolves from the Koppang pack can be culled; and all other precautions/measures to protect the livestock must have been tried first. At the same time, Rendalen was granted approximately 1.1-1.2 million Euro to be spent on "preventative measures."

WWF-Norway today sent Rendalen a formal letter, asking the municipality document that: damage was done by wolves in general and by the Koppang pack in particular; they have systems that will secure that only animals from the Koppang pack can be culled; and all other preventative measures have been tried. The letter also asks for details of how the money granted for preventative measures was spent.

For more information: Bjørn Tore Bjørsvik, btbjorsvik@wwf.no