Shall we, or shall we not have wolves in Sweden?

Gunilla Josefsson

I have decided to write an argument essay instead, since this is a highly discussed question in Sweden.

We shall not have wolves in Sweden!!

In 1821 was nine children kill in Sweden by one single wolf!!

The wolf is a beast of prey which feed on field-mouse, lemmings, hares, birds foxes, calves from reindeers, grown up reindeers, mousse, tame animals like swine, sheep, goats, dogs and even cadavers sometimes. And of course the wolf can kill a human being.

The wolf population we have in Sweden originate from Finland. Which means that the genes we have in the Swedish population is to small and this causing inbreeding. In the biggest dog magazine in Sweden Hundsport no. 1-2 / 2006 could we reed following! Any greater discussion around the extreme inbreeding which is going on with an inbreeding grade between 25-50% hear we not much of And should such of inbreeding going on within SKK (Svenska Kennel Klubben) (Swedish Kennel Club) will that lead to discipline drastic measure and are probably a crime against animals protective law. In Scandinavia has researcher examined wolf skeleton from different nature historical museums and come to the conclusions that many wolfs had such of damage on vertebrae and hipbones so that should affect the wolf negative. The high inbreeding grade shows also lesser puppies in each breeding, and increased malformation on e.g. testicles and heart.

What will the inbreeding lead to??

Inbreeding leads often to malformation and a lesser natural reserved wolf. Which in turn will lead to that it will search contact will human being, tame animals and their place to live. The wolf will also adjust to a life in the community, since there is easy to find food. This is an incredible important thought to think about when it comes to the question, why we not shall have wolves in Sweden. If the inbreeding will continue in the same speed as now will this lead to that the wolf will be more and more dangerous for each year that will pass.

Do we need to have a wolf population in Sweden??

Since the ice age disappearing from Scandinavia has there been wolves in Sweden. The wolf came to Sweden from the south, approximately in the same time as the wild reindeer and the mouse. And since then the wolf has been a natural part in the Scandinavian fauna. In century have people in Sweden done what they could do to limit the wolves space. This has been done just because the wolves have been a great hindrance for the farmers and their tame animals. In the beginning of 1970 had we in Sweden succeeded to exterminate the Swedish wolf population. But already 1977 the wolf was back again, but this time it come from Finland to Sweden. 1983 was the first rejuvenation what we know in Värmland. And this is the beginning to our wolf population that we have in Sweden today approx 100-150 animals (this includes also the wolves in Norway) this can we also reed about in Caroline Gulsvik.s essay about the history and development of todays Scandinavian wolf population.

Totally in the world there is approx. 250 000 wolves according to the predator centre De 5 Stora Inledning. According to this high amount of wolves in the world so is the wolves not an extermination art. Therefore we in Sweden dont need to take responsibility about the wolf, or consider that it should be a part of our Swedish nature.

A law that doesnt work

In the law book in Sweden §28 can we reed following: Har en björn, varg, järv eller lo angripit och skadat eller dödat tamdjur och finns skälig anledninga att befara ett nytt angrepp, får tamdjurets ägare eller vårdare utan hinder av fredning eller bestämmelserna i. Vidare laser vi I §9 döda det angripande djuret, om det sker I omedelbar anslutning till angreppet. Sådan jakt är dock inte tillåten inom national park.

Which means: Has a bear, wolf, wolverine or a lynx attacked and harmed or kill a tame animal and there is reason to believe a new attack, then the owner of the tame animal without any obstacle of protection or the regulation, further on in §9 kill the attacking animal, if it will happens in direct connection to the attack. That kind of hunt is not allowed in national parks.

The minim penalty fore broad hunting crimes is today 6 month in prison and the maxim penalty is 4 years in prison.

This penalty can you get if you have killed a wolf. To tame animals counts animal on a farm as for an example cattle sheep and lambs. This law includes also dogs and other tame animals. Therefore should this law immediately change, so that you can defend your animal already at the first attack! The right to protect a dog is not a threat against the wolf. Between 2 4 wolves ought to get killed every year if the hunters was allowed to shoot wolves that attacks dogs. This appraisal does wild animals researcher that has investigated almost every case of wolf attacks against dogs since the last 10 years.

According to present law in Sweden, is a dog owner not allowed to protect his dog at the first attack by hurting or kill the wolf. But how shall a dog owner that only has one dog act and try to protect his dog if the wolf will kill the dog already at the first attack? If the dog will die in the first attack there will never be a second attack. In this case there is two ways to go, either kill or hurt the wolf and end up in prison. Or stand by and only try to scare the wolf.

Another example about that the law doesnt work can we reed about in a debate article in the Magazine Hundsport no. 3 / 2006, page 11

Rolf Frid that is a dog owner that has written about his dog:

Thanks for 7 nice years, Tass!

You where one of my dearest friends and one of my best hunting friend, that helped me and the Swedish government to find traffic damaged wild animals. I will never forget you. That morning when you were lie beside me in the bed. And later on lie in the woods, tear to pieces by wolves, felt really hard. And the only thing that was left of you was the head, the paws and the skeleton.

If I had been there to see this, and to see what would happened then I had tried everything to help you. Even if this is according to the law forbidden.

And after this have the experience from one of the ministers in the Swedish government regarding all the contempt and arrogance against us who lives in the countryside feels even heavier. Dont forget this with the next election!!

Is the wolf threatening the living countryside in Sweden??

I think there is a possibility that the wolf will exterminate the human from the countryside, I found this thought on that the wolf seams to be more worth and the human!! Everyone that lives in the countryside and has tame animals on their farm can have contributions from the Swedish government to put up safe wolf fence around their farm. Well this could be ok, but who will live on the countryside with a safe wolf-fence on 2 meter high around their fields and houses. I would compare this with a prison, were you have the same fence to watch every day. And further on, shall all hunters that live on the countryside also get contributions to put up wolf-safe fences around their hunting-land that will cost very very much money for the government. As we further on also can read in Caroline Gulsvik veterinary student, 1st year from 2004 essay. Both the Swedish and the Norwegian government is cooperating and try to protect the wolf population and in the same time try to protect the livestock in the area. So that everyone that lives in the same biotope could be pleased. Well its not an easy question to solve!

The major problem for the hunter is that there is not a possibility to let the dog loose in the area where it is wolves. The major reason for this is, when a wolf hears a barking dog will the wolf search up the dog just to kill it. An example of this can we read about in the Swedish magazine Svenska stövar Klubbens tidskrift, Medlemsblad 2005 No 1 page 41

Part of the side was ripped away the dog had been totally tear apart and killed by two wolves. And with a closer investigation it showed totally cleared that the wolves had deliberately had focused to get the dog. This was confirmed through backtracking. The wolves had turned after the sound of the dog, quickly and fast found it, toured it apart and killed it. This is why we cant have wolves if we in the same time wants to have a living country-side fore people that wants to practice their interests like for an example hunting.

Further on could we hear on Swedish TV-news a reportage about a family living in värmland their the child in the family had the same way to the school bus that also happens to be the wolf daily highway. The consequence of this has been that the community in the area has changed the rule and from now on pick up the child at the house instead.

Why not an Alfa pair on Djurgården in Stockholm?

If we shall have wolves in Sweden, shall we dont see so they can come back to the originally places like for an example Djurgården in Stockholm. During 1827-1839 wasnt less then 271 wolves bring down in Stockholms area. Think also on what a good use it will be with an Alfa pair in Stockholm. Animals like roe deer and geese that will be natural food for the wolves in the area. This could mean that the house owners that have great problem with roe deer in there gardens, cemeteries there the flowers will be left alone could have a natural solve ness with the help of the wolf. And also the growing problem with geese on golf tracks could come to a conclusion with the wolf.

But you can also think in another perspective. If a mother is out walking with her two children and her little cute dog, suddenly there will come a wolf and take that cute little dog just in front of the children and theirs mother. I this will happened, then the city person will change opinion about the wolf be or not to be. When the city person have to just as the countryside persons need to do now. Live together in the same biotope as the wolf.

It is important to protect our unique right of common access in Sweden. Shall then in that case be reasonable that we human shall sacrifice our interests for animals and the nature just because of the wolves be or not to be. Or will it be that there is going to be special wolf free fenced in places just so we can do this.

No, we dont need to have wolves in Sweden. We rather would like to have the happiness and joy back for all those people that live in the countryside and are affected by the wolves.

References:

Scientific publication:

Ericsson, Göran; Heberlein, Thomas A.
Attitudes of hunters, locals, and the general public in Sweden now that the wolves are back.
Biological Conservation, 111(2) 2003 Jun:159-59.

Publications from other students:

Caroline Gulsvik veterinary student, 1st year

THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF TODAYS SCANDINAVIAN WOLF POPULATION

Kristina Höglund, The Swedish wolf Written with blood, sweat and tears

Publications from diff. Magazines in Sweden:

Hundsport no. 1-2 / 2006

Hundsport no. 3 / 2006, page 11

Svenska stövar Klubbens tidskrift, Medlemsblad 2005 No 1 page 41

Sveriges rikes lag

The law book in Sweden (sveriges rikes lag)

Other web-sites:

http://www.internat.naturvardsverket.se/index.php3?main=/documents/nature/predator/preddok/wolfques.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/645697.stm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10509138&dopt=Abstract

http://www.folklore.ee/rl/pubte/ee/usund/ingl/peterson.html

http://www.de5stora.com/omrovdjuren/varg/farlig/index.asp

http://www.jagareforbundet.se/temp/fragordirekttil.asp

http://www.vargreviret.com/

Hallgatói dolgozatok		Behaviour Server: http://www.behav.org
Student essays		Kabai Péter
		advice on essay

Shall we, or shall we not have wolves in Sweden? Gunilla Josefsson I have decided to write an argument essay instead, since this is a highly discussed question in Sweden. We shall not have wolves in Sweden!! In 1821 was nine children kill in Sweden by one single wolf!! The wolf is a beast of prey which feed on field-mouse, lemmings, hares, birds foxes, calves from reindeers, grown up reindeers, mousse, tame animals like swine, sheep, goats, dogs and even cadavers sometimes. And of course the wolf can kill a human being. The wolf population we have in Sweden originate from Finland. Which means that the genes we have in the Swedish population is to small and this causing inbreeding. In the biggest dog magazine in Sweden Hundsport no. 1-2 / 2006 could we reed following! Any greater discussion around the extreme inbreeding which is going on with an inbreeding grade between 25-50% hear we not much of And should such of inbreeding going on within SKK (Svenska Kennel Klubben) (Swedish Kennel Club) will that lead to discipline drastic measure and are probably a crime against animals protective law. In Scandinavia has researcher examined wolf skeleton from different nature historical museums and come to the conclusions that many wolfs had such of damage on vertebrae and hipbones so that should affect the wolf negative. The high inbreeding grade shows also lesser puppies in each breeding, and increased malformation on e.g. testicles and heart. What will the inbreeding lead to?? Inbreeding leads often to malformation and a lesser natural reserved wolf. Which in turn will lead to that it will search contact will human being, tame animals and their place to live. The wolf will also adjust to a life in the community, since there is easy to find food. This is an incredible important thought to think about when it comes to the question, why we not shall have wolves in Sweden. If the inbreeding will continue in the same speed as now will this lead to that the wolf will be more and more dangerous for each year that will pass. Do we need to have a wolf population in Sweden?? Since the ice age disappearing from Scandinavia has there been wolves in Sweden. The wolf came to Sweden from the south, approximately in the same time as the wild reindeer and the mouse. And since then the wolf has been a natural part in the Scandinavian fauna. In century have people in Sweden done what they could do to limit the wolves space. This has been done just because the wolves have been a great hindrance for the farmers and their tame animals. In the beginning of 1970 had we in Sweden succeeded to exterminate the Swedish wolf population. But already 1977 the wolf was back again, but this time it come from Finland to Sweden. 1983 was the first rejuvenation what we know in Värmland. And this is the beginning to our wolf population that we have in Sweden today approx 100-150 animals (this includes also the wolves in Norway) this can we also reed about in Caroline Gulsvik.s essay about the history and development of todays Scandinavian wolf population. Totally in the world there is approx. 250 000 wolves according to the predator centre De 5 Stora Inledning. According to this high amount of wolves in the world so is the wolves not an extermination art. Therefore we in Sweden dont need to take responsibility about the wolf, or consider that it should be a part of our Swedish nature. A law that doesnt work In the law book in Sweden §28 can we reed following: Har en björn, varg, järv eller lo angripit och skadat eller dödat tamdjur och finns skälig anledninga att befara ett nytt angrepp, får tamdjurets ägare eller vårdare utan hinder av fredning eller bestämmelserna i. Vidare laser vi I §9 döda det angripande djuret, om det sker I omedelbar anslutning till angreppet. Sådan jakt är dock inte tillåten inom national park. Which means: Has a bear, wolf, wolverine or a lynx attacked and harmed or kill a tame animal and there is reason to believe a new attack, then the owner of the tame animal without any obstacle of protection or the regulation, further on in §9 kill the attacking animal, if it will happens in direct connection to the attack. That kind of hunt is not allowed in national parks. The minim penalty fore broad hunting crimes is today 6 month in prison and the maxim penalty is 4 years in prison. This penalty can you get if you have killed a wolf. To tame animals counts animal on a farm as for an example cattle sheep and lambs. This law includes also dogs and other tame animals. Therefore should this law immediately change, so that you can defend your animal already at the first attack! The right to protect a dog is not a threat against the wolf. Between 2 4 wolves ought to get killed every year if the hunters was allowed to shoot wolves that attacks dogs. This appraisal does wild animals researcher that has investigated almost every case of wolf attacks against dogs since the last 10 years. According to present law in Sweden, is a dog owner not allowed to protect his dog at the first attack by hurting or kill the wolf. But how shall a dog owner that only has one dog act and try to protect his dog if the wolf will kill the dog already at the first attack? If the dog will die in the first attack there will never be a second attack. In this case there is two ways to go, either kill or hurt the wolf and end up in prison. Or stand by and only try to scare the wolf. Another example about that the law doesnt work can we reed about in a debate article in the Magazine Hundsport no. 3 / 2006, page 11 Rolf Frid that is a dog owner that has written about his dog: Thanks for 7 nice years, Tass! You where one of my dearest friends and one of my best hunting friend, that helped me and the Swedish government to find traffic damaged wild animals. I will never forget you. That morning when you were lie beside me in the bed. And later on lie in the woods, tear to pieces by wolves, felt really hard. And the only thing that was left of you was the head, the paws and the skeleton. If I had been there to see this, and to see what would happened then I had tried everything to help you. Even if this is according to the law forbidden. And after this have the experience from one of the ministers in the Swedish government regarding all the contempt and arrogance against us who lives in the countryside feels even heavier. Dont forget this with the next election!! Is the wolf threatening the living countryside in Sweden?? I think there is a possibility that the wolf will exterminate the human from the countryside, I found this thought on that the wolf seams to be more worth and the human!! Everyone that lives in the countryside and has tame animals on their farm can have contributions from the Swedish government to put up safe wolf fence around their farm. Well this could be ok, but who will live on the countryside with a safe wolf-fence on 2 meter high around their fields and houses. I would compare this with a prison, were you have the same fence to watch every day. And further on, shall all hunters that live on the countryside also get contributions to put up wolf-safe fences around their hunting-land that will cost very very much money for the government. As we further on also can read in Caroline Gulsvik veterinary student, 1st year from 2004 essay. Both the Swedish and the Norwegian government is cooperating and try to protect the wolf population and in the same time try to protect the livestock in the area. So that everyone that lives in the same biotope could be pleased. Well its not an easy question to solve! The major problem for the hunter is that there is not a possibility to let the dog loose in the area where it is wolves. The major reason for this is, when a wolf hears a barking dog will the wolf search up the dog just to kill it. An example of this can we read about in the Swedish magazine Svenska stövar Klubbens tidskrift, Medlemsblad 2005 No 1 page 41 Part of the side was ripped away the dog had been totally tear apart and killed by two wolves. And with a closer investigation it showed totally cleared that the wolves had deliberately had focused to get the dog. This was confirmed through backtracking. The wolves had turned after the sound of the dog, quickly and fast found it, toured it apart and killed it. This is why we cant have wolves if we in the same time wants to have a living country-side fore people that wants to practice their interests like for an example hunting. Further on could we hear on Swedish TV-news a reportage about a family living in värmland their the child in the family had the same way to the school bus that also happens to be the wolf daily highway. The consequence of this has been that the community in the area has changed the rule and from now on pick up the child at the house instead. Why not an Alfa pair on Djurgården in Stockholm? If we shall have wolves in Sweden, shall we dont see so they can come back to the originally places like for an example Djurgården in Stockholm. During 1827-1839 wasnt less then 271 wolves bring down in Stockholms area. Think also on what a good use it will be with an Alfa pair in Stockholm. Animals like roe deer and geese that will be natural food for the wolves in the area. This could mean that the house owners that have great problem with roe deer in there gardens, cemeteries there the flowers will be left alone could have a natural solve ness with the help of the wolf. And also the growing problem with geese on golf tracks could come to a conclusion with the wolf. But you can also think in another perspective. If a mother is out walking with her two children and her little cute dog, suddenly there will come a wolf and take that cute little dog just in front of the children and theirs mother. I this will happened, then the city person will change opinion about the wolf be or not to be. When the city person have to just as the countryside persons need to do now. Live together in the same biotope as the wolf. It is important to protect our unique right of common access in Sweden. Shall then in that case be reasonable that we human shall sacrifice our interests for animals and the nature just because of the wolves be or not to be. Or will it be that there is going to be special wolf free fenced in places just so we can do this. No, we dont need to have wolves in Sweden. We rather would like to have the happiness and joy back for all those people that live in the countryside and are affected by the wolves. References: Scientific publication: Ericsson, Göran; Heberlein, Thomas A. Attitudes of hunters, locals, and the general public in Sweden now that the wolves are back. Biological Conservation, 111(2) 2003 Jun:159-59. Publications from other students: Caroline Gulsvik veterinary student, 1st year THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF TODAYS SCANDINAVIAN WOLF POPULATION Kristina Höglund, The Swedish wolf Written with blood, sweat and tears Publications from diff. Magazines in Sweden: Hundsport no. 1-2 / 2006 Hundsport no. 3 / 2006, page 11 Svenska stövar Klubbens tidskrift, Medlemsblad 2005 No 1 page 41 Sveriges rikes lag The law book in Sweden (sveriges rikes lag) Other web-sites: http://www.internat.naturvardsverket.se/index.php3?main=/documents/nature/predator/preddok/wolfques.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/645697.stm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10509138&dopt=Abstract http://www.folklore.ee/rl/pubte/ee/usund/ingl/peterson.html http://www.de5stora.com/omrovdjuren/varg/farlig/index.asp http://www.jagareforbundet.se/temp/fragordirekttil.asp http://www.vargreviret.com/

Notes (if any) by Peter Kabai:

What will the inbreeding lead to??

A law that doesnt work

Publications from diff. Magazines in Sweden:

Sveriges rikes lag

A law that doesnt work