Justice for wolves. No to shooting licenses!

Finnish hunters have been authorised to kill nearly 20% of the country’s wolf population.

Rural residents frequently express concern for the safety of their dogs and livestock, while some claim their children are in danger, though there has not been a single reported attack by wolves on humans in Europe in the past two decades.

There is an estimate of 250 wolves in Finland which is an extremely low number compared with the international population.

The first trial cull was held in 2015 with 24 permits, and 17 wolves were killed. This year the number of permits has been nearly doubled to 46, causing outrage among animal protection activists.

Environmentalists worry the month-long cull may destroy the wolves’ genetic diversity. “The population should be at least twice as big for it to be genetically healthy,” said Mari Nyyssölä-Kiisla, head of the wolf action group of the Finnish Nature League.

Hunting is a deep-rooted, widespread tradition and hobby in Finland, with around 300,000 people registering annually for permits, one of the highest per capita rates in Europe.
Elk, hare, deer and wild birds are commonly hunted.

Animal rights campaigners are decrying the hull, saying hunting techniques have become increasingly sophisticated, including using helicopters and snowmobiles to track the wolves. Some warn that wolves could disappear altogether from Finnish Lapland, a thinly-populated Arctic region, unless urgent action is taken.

"The wolf situation in Lapland right now is severe. We have only three to six wolves in Lapland, not even one single wolf pack," Finnish Nature League manager Sami Saynevirta said. "If we don't take action immediately, then it could be that we don't have wolves in Lapland at all."

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/01/22/world/europe/ap-eu-finland-wolf-hunt.html