Conservationists warn that the hunting could further endanger the wolf species and encourage other European countries to follow this example. Hunting associations state that "it is absolutely necessary to slow the growth of wolves," reported the British newspaper The Guardian.
These organizations say the wolf pack is the largest Sweden has had so far. Other European countries have also seen an increase in the number of wolves in recent years. This is attributed to the protected status that the wolf has held for many years.
However, nature organizations say that unregulated wolf hunting violates the Bern Convention of the Council of Europe. They have unsuccessfully tried to appeal against the Habitat Directive violation.
The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency previously warned that the wolf population should not fall below 300 to prevent inbreeding. But the Swedish parliament supports reducing the number to 170, the lowest level still permitted under the requirements of the Habitat and Species Directives of the European Union. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says this figure "was not based on scientific facts."
The Scandinavian wolf is already listed as an endangered species. Sweden shares a wolf population with Norway along the 2,000-kilometer-long border. Norway is the only country in the world that has set a limit on the number of wolves, allowing only four to six pups per year. The Scandinavian country permits hunters to drastically reduce the wolf population every year.