http://www.cvfaf.org/NorwayWolfShame.html

Pictures at the link above.

Norway's Shame

Norway had only 33 - 39 grey wolves left in the wild this winter. But after the authorities gave hunters the licence to kill 8 wolves, the number of this critical endangered species is reduced by 4 wolves, so far. Three of the wolves were killed during a couple of days, where almost hundred hunters chased the frightened animals and injured two of them seriously. For one hour the wolves suffered horrible pain - one of them with a shot in his front leg, the other from a shot in her neck, which caused her to bleed through her ears, nose and mouth - until they were traced and killed. The third wolf was cruelly killed by a shot in his back. This ruthless hunt has caused a lot of anger in Norway, where the majority of the population wants a larger number of wolves then the current estimate.

The reason for the hunt:

Farmers claim that wolves destroy their living, hunters claim that wolves kill their dogs, and some people claim that wolves threaten their lives and their children's safety.

The facts:

Wolves killed 89 sheep in 2008, and 384 sheep in 2009 - out of 2 million sheep let out in the wilderness to fend for themselves. In comparison 100.000 sheep die each summer from other reasons then wolves and other predators.

Wolves kill approximately 8 dogs each year during the hunting season, when hunters let their dogs free in the woods, to chase down the animals they want to shoot. In comparison 700 dogs are injured and killed by cars each year, many of these hunting dogs.

One person was probably killed by a wolf in Norway - but that was 200 years ago. In comparison 31 persons were killed by other people in Norway last year, and about 200 were killed by cars.

In spite of these facts - about one fourth of the critical endangered, extremely shy wolves are mercilessly chased down and killed this winter.

Please protest Norway's shame. Please help the few wolves left in Norway, and send a polite message to:

The Minister of environment, Erik Solheim - miljovernministeren@md.dep.no

Secretary, Ministry of the environment, Heidi Sørensen - heidi.sorensen@md.dep.no

Director, Norway's Directorate of Nature Management, Janne Sollie - janne.sollie@dirnat.no