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Dharkwolf · 31-01-2005, 00:32

As promised I looked into this problem a little.

It seems like Norwegians do not have a very good track record with wolves, this is not the first time they have done a similar cull, even though there are very few wolves in Norway, and this is without taking into account the effects of poaching (estimated to have killed 120 wolves in Scandinavia in the last 20 years… if you consider that the “stable” population size is around 100 animals that is enormous)

Here a couple of other articles for those who can stomach this sort of thing:

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/lo...icle958181.ece
http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.ph...6-034037-6898r

This is a very interesting background paper to the whole wolf situation in Norway

http://www.wolfsociety.org.uk/educat.../no-4-2004.htm

So what is the current situation?

Of the five wolves scheduled to be shot, three have already been killed, including the alpha female of a pack that was supposed to be “spared” by the cull. In my opinion there is little that can be done to stop this current hunt, but judging from the past attitude of the Norwegian government it will not be the last one.

So what can be done about it?

Well, unless you want to hop over to Norway and stand between the wolves and the hunters (and there are some people who are doing just that) what you can do is write write and write.

Before you do write anywhere consider this though, if you want to be credible, you will need to be polite, and to the point. Express your concerns and your fears, but avoid anything which could be construed as insulting, no matter how much you feel like strangling the people responsible for this. Unless you remain polite your letter will be disregarded.

First you can write to the Norwegian ambassador in your country, expressing your feelings on this issue. Norway might not have an embassy in your country, in that case just write to the closest one. Here is a list. The point of this would be to let the Norwegians know you are not happy about this.

The next thing you can do is write to the people in your own country expressing your concern, contact environmental agencies, conservation groups, whomever you think might be interested and would need to know about this. Two points to this, on the one hand an informative point to let people who might feel concerned about this know what is happening, and on the other hand to try to see if they can do something. Probably not very much, but a lot of small efforts pay out in the long run.

Finally you can write to your MEP (members of the European Parliament). Even though Norway is not actually a member of the EU, by authorizing these culls of protected species it is in direct violation of the “Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention,1979)” which it ratified in 1989. Under this convention Canis lupus is classed as appendix II species (strictly protected species) meaning that the regulated hunting of wolves is prohibited. Since this document was drawn under the auspices of the Council of Europe (one of the EU organisms) it is appropriate to bring this issue up with your MEP. You can find out who they are and how to contact them here.

Having been nailed to my bed for most of the weekend, I’ve only had time to track this information down and have not yet been able to draft my letters, but should any of you think they might be useful I don’t have a problem sharing them with the forum.

Remember, one voice can make a difference in the end.

31-01-2005, 00:32	#5
Dharkwolf Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Brussels Posts: 201	As promised I looked into this problem a little. It seems like Norwegians do not have a very good track record with wolves, this is not the first time they have done a similar cull, even though there are very few wolves in Norway, and this is without taking into account the effects of poaching (estimated to have killed 120 wolves in Scandinavia in the last 20 years… if you consider that the “stable” population size is around 100 animals that is enormous) Here a couple of other articles for those who can stomach this sort of thing: http://www.aftenposten.no/english/lo...icle958181.ece http://www.wpherald.com/storyview.ph...6-034037-6898r This is a very interesting background paper to the whole wolf situation in Norway http://www.wolfsociety.org.uk/educat.../no-4-2004.htm So what is the current situation? Of the five wolves scheduled to be shot, three have already been killed, including the alpha female of a pack that was supposed to be “spared” by the cull. In my opinion there is little that can be done to stop this current hunt, but judging from the past attitude of the Norwegian government it will not be the last one. So what can be done about it? Well, unless you want to hop over to Norway and stand between the wolves and the hunters (and there are some people who are doing just that) what you can do is write write and write. Before you do write anywhere consider this though, if you want to be credible, you will need to be polite, and to the point. Express your concerns and your fears, but avoid anything which could be construed as insulting, no matter how much you feel like strangling the people responsible for this. Unless you remain polite your letter will be disregarded. First you can write to the Norwegian ambassador in your country, expressing your feelings on this issue. Norway might not have an embassy in your country, in that case just write to the closest one. Here is a list. The point of this would be to let the Norwegians know you are not happy about this. The next thing you can do is write to the people in your own country expressing your concern, contact environmental agencies, conservation groups, whomever you think might be interested and would need to know about this. Two points to this, on the one hand an informative point to let people who might feel concerned about this know what is happening, and on the other hand to try to see if they can do something. Probably not very much, but a lot of small efforts pay out in the long run. Finally you can write to your MEP (members of the European Parliament). Even though Norway is not actually a member of the EU, by authorizing these culls of protected species it is in direct violation of the “Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention,1979)” which it ratified in 1989. Under this convention Canis lupus is classed as appendix II species (strictly protected species) meaning that the regulated hunting of wolves is prohibited. Since this document was drawn under the auspices of the Council of Europe (one of the EU organisms) it is appropriate to bring this issue up with your MEP. You can find out who they are and how to contact them here. Having been nailed to my bed for most of the weekend, I’ve only had time to track this information down and have not yet been able to draft my letters, but should any of you think they might be useful I don’t have a problem sharing them with the forum. Remember, one voice can make a difference in the end.