The Norwegian government has decided to kill off two thirds of their wild wolf population, which means exterminating 47 out of its 68 wolves living in the wild. The government is justifying this decision because wolves aren’t considered to be a threatened species globally and fall into the category of “least concern”. However, in Scandinavia wolf population is not as healthy as it is in isolated places such as Siberian Russia. In the Scandinavia the wolf population ranges between 289 and 325 (according to a study done in 2013).  And the wolf population in Scandinavia continues to recover from their extinction in the late 1960s. It was only in the 1980s that wolves found their way back to the region and began to repopulate. In Norway their wild wolf population is still low, and unfortunately the government has decided to inhibit any further growth.
 
Norway’s Reasoning Behind the Kills
One reason for wolf killings is to help sheep herders. Since Norwegians have traditional farming practices which allow sheep to graze and roam freely, one argument is that the wolves must be killed in order to save the livestock from being killed. However, the wolf population in Norway is made up of only 68 individuals, making it hard to believe that they could pose a national or even local threat to livestock. In reality more sheep would probably get lost without having anyone tending to them than they would to carnivores. Nina Jensen, head of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Norway, points out another discrepancy in this reasoning, highlighting that the Norwegian government has previously committed to allow carnivore populations to co-exist with livestock.
 
Another, more probable reasoning to the killings is the increased interest among Norwegians to hunt wolves in the past year. There have been more than 11,000 hunter who have applied for a permit to kill 16 wolves. And given the small wolf population in Norway, this amounts to about 700 applicants per wolf. This interest is shocking considering that Norway has a wild wolf population of about 68 individuals. Whatever the real reasoning may be, the wolf population in Norway will suffer greatly.
 
Wolf Culling
Back in 1846 the Norwegian government approved wolf culling to reduce the amount of predators in the country. Although wolves only accounted for about 8% of the kills on sheep, they were hunted to near extinction by the mid-20th century. It wasn’t until 1973 that wolves were given protection status. The first wolf returned back to Norway in 1980 but breeding on Norwegian soil didn’t occur until 1997.
 
Now, Norway’s wolves face another cull, which can once again cause detrimental population declines. Conservationists are displeased with Norway’s predator management strategy, especially with the government’s decision to completely cull the Slettåsen wolf pack living in the country’s Trysil territory. Trysil is a designated wolf zone in Norway, but this doesn’t seem to bother the authorities. Sverre Lundemo of WWF Norway highlights the importance of the Slettåsen pack as a very stable and genetically rich population of wolves. Most Scandinavian wolves are at risk of poaching and inbreeding, making the populations more vulnerable. Therefore, exterminating the Slettåsen pack can undermine the Norwegian wolf population and their genetic diversity.
 
Under the government’s plan, 24 wolves will be shot in Trysil, another 13 in neighbouring regions, and 10 more in other areas of Norway. Environmentalists say that the number of wolves the government plans to kill this year is more than any year since 1911. Silje Ask Lundberg, chair of Friends of the Earth Norway, says that three out of six family groups of wolves will potentially be shot from this decision, and that action needs to be taken to repeal the government’s decision.
 
Action Against the Wolf Killings
Friends of the Earth Norway have advocated for farmers to invest in breeds of sheep or cattle more suitable for fences and herding to prevent the number of livestock being killed by wild predators. The Predator Alliance in Trysil has submitted a petition with 35,000 signatures to the prime minister, Erna Solberg. Their petition is to protect the wolves from being culled to extinction. The WWF are also considering challenging the decision legally prior to the wolf hunts which are set for January 1, 2017.
 
Although Norway is praised for being an environmental leader, it has also had its downfalls when it comes to protecting wildlife. The country has exploited oil in the North Sea, hunted endangered whales, and now wants to cull their wild wolf population yet again. It seems that the government is only thinking about the sheep farmers and hunters of the country, and not seeing the broader environmental repercussions of their actions. Wolves are not only a top predator, but they’re also a keystone species within their ecosystems. But unfortunately, ecosystem health has not been set as a top priority of the Norwegian government.