The killing of half of the wolves living in Sweden begins today, with the Scandinavian country’s government drawing the ire of many activist organizations.

Sweden is seeking to halve the wolf population, even though the species is threatened with extinction.

As the Bern Convention stipulates, the population of protected species cannot be reduced below the level designated as “sustainable.”

However, as of today, the hunting of wolves, with the national government giving permission for the killing of five herds, a total of 30 animals.

Predictably, activist organizations were quick to condemn this decision, claiming it violates European wildlife protection regulations.

Under the Bern Convention, populations of protected species may not be reduced below a “sustainable level.”

The number of wolves in Sweden has fallen by almost 20% from 2022 to 2023, now standing at 375.

Despite this, the government plans to reduce their numbers further, by 50%, so that the total population will not exceed 170 wolves.

This number, according to the British publication, will be the new “sustainable level”, replacing the current limit of 300 wolves.

Endangered wolves

For their part, opponents of the Swedish decision argue that the move poses a serious threat to the wolf population, which is already struggling to survive due to hunting.

From 1966 to 1983, there was no breeding population of wolves in Sweden, which had a decisive effect on their reproduction.

Wolves are considered an endangered species and have therefore been placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “red list”.