Main » 2013 » February » 12 » Sweden wolf hunt suspended after legal challenge
11:25
Sweden wolf hunt suspended after legal challenge
Sweden wolf hunt suspended after legal challenge
A wolf hunt in Sweden that had angered environmentalists has been suspended(прекращена), just days after it began. The Swedish government had authorized(объяснило) what it called a targeted cull, saying it would create a healthier wolf population. But it was suspended pending a full legal review(экспертиза в юридическом отделе) after conservationists appealed(обратились) to the courts. Hunters killed three out of the 16 wolves allowed under the quota before the cull was called off. Analysts say the court ruling is likely to result in no further wolf hunting in Sweden this year. The decision to allow hunting had sparked(вызвало) a heated(бурные) debate in Sweden. The cull was supported by hunters and farmers, who say wolves deplete(обеднять) game such as elk and prey(охотятся) on sheep. But it was opposed by environmentalists who argue that the predators should be allowed to roam free as part of the natural ecosystem. The EU had also protested against the cull, saying it violated European law. Sweden wolf cull divides opinion It is estimated that more than 270 wolves are living in the wild in Sweden, much of which is covered(покрыта) by wilderness.(пустыня) The species was hunted to the verge(на грани) of extinction before a ban was introduced in the 1960s - before then, people were rewarded(вознаграждались) for killing wolves. Limited culls resumed in 2010. Sweden's environmental protection agency said the aim was to eliminate(устранять) inbred(врожденный) wolves and improve the gene pool of the wild population, but conservationists dispute this. "What is needed is not a hunt. We think it's flawed(недостаток) - it's to satisfy groups in Sweden who demand wolf hunting," Ann Dahlerus of the Swedish Carnivore Association told the BBC before the cull was suspended. But farmers say that - in some areas - wolves are a real menace(угроза). Anette Back-Olsson says 35 of her sheep have been killed over the years. "From May to September, October, I don't sleep at night. I have dogs who bark when the wolf comes and I never feel safe," she says. Farmers get compensation when their sheep are killed and conservationists say only 300 are taken by wolves each year - out of a total flock(стадо) of around 800,000.
What do you think about this problem? Should people fight for wolves’ rights? Is it right to hunt wolves? How farmers can protect their flocks from wolves? Should people limit wolves’ freedom?
In my opinion, it is awful that people want to kill wolves for pleasure. Conservationists are right that people do nothing useful for wolves, they just want to have fun. It’s terrible. I think people must think about animals’ future and protect them!!!
I have already read many such articles. All of them say that it isn't right to kill animals. And of course, i agree with it. Their life is in our hands. I want to say: " Dear people stop living for themselves. You should know that you are surrounded by others wonderful creatures!!"
