Saturday, February 13, 2010

Happy Whaooolentine!

... and understood and accepted

That is the Wolf Howl Blog´s Valentine´s wish for all the wolves around the world!

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Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Wolves

Share this beautiful video with all your friends. The Wolf - the beautiful, majestic and wise creature needs our help to survive.

Please help to prevent wolves from extiction. Take actions - join causes, environmental organisations, wolf support groups, donate, adopt wolves, sign petitions, send letters to your local authorities and governments.

The wolves are critically endangered globally. They need all our help!


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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Assassinations in Lapland (Scandinavia)

This is a story of what they do to wolves and other predators in Lapland - the land of the reindeer herds.

They kill any animals, that get within reach of their reindeer herds, whom they have as means of business, and transport thousands of them each year to slaughter houses, often in unadequately small trailer with not enough space for the animals to rest, while travelling hundreds of kilometers to the slaughter houses.

"Reindeer owners seldom tell you how many reindeer he has. If you ask, they'll probably ask you to tell him of the size of your own bank account. " - information on one Lapland travel info guide.

When I first came into close contact with their reindeer-culture, I was shocked. I visited the Swedish museum in Ostersund, called Jamtli. There they have on display a lot from the Saami culture. Including a TV documentary about the "herding" of reindeer. I sat down to watch and was shocked to see a ritual in which they chase the reindeers in a corral, lasoo a selected one and cut it´s throat, leaving it to die slowly in stress, bleeding to death. This was among it´s herd memebers, and dozens of people watched the show. It wasn´t in the 1800s, it was NOW. There were snowmobiles standing by.
A middle age brutal and heartless slaughter, which one is used to knowing from the movies, or from the barbaristic practices of some primitive tribes or sects.

Few years later, I found out there was a "wild" slaughter house in the area, to which we moved. I heared a lot of terrible stories from the locals, including the veterinarians, who work there as meat hygiene and disease inspection. The different Saami people who bring in their herds to be slaughtered, fight with each other with knifes, threattening each other and the staff. I heared whole "mafias" fight who will get better price for their meat and whose bigger herds will be accepted at the slaughterhouses.

So much for the romantic image of the natural life in harmony...

I´ve been also told to be careful about my dogs. If they ever get lose or run away, and happen to get near a reindeer herd, they are very likely to get shot by the Saami herders/owners, without even letting you know or asking you to go get them back.

They simply have a power which they sure know how to use. No one, including the Swedish government, dares to get in conflict with them.

I thought it was a bit exaggerated then. But since then, I read enough news in the pappers, about dogs killed, because they got too close to the herds, which roam freely the woods all over the country, and who even have the right to roam over your own forrest. These herds are of course domesticated livestock, not wild caribou.

I also read stories about the Saami killing wolverine, although this nordic predator is extremly protected and absolutley forbidden to hunt, as it is severly threattened with extinction.

But for the Saami reindeer herders, there is no respect for the nature and wildlife. It is all about their reindeer business. They think they can take the law in their hands, and apparently there hasn´t been anyone in the Scandinavian countries, to stand up to them and take the same measures for them as for other residents.

If a wolf or a wolverine is killed illegally, you end up in jail. If a Saami kills a wolf or wolverine, it´s a protective measure.

If the government does not start facing this problem, the wildlife and especially the threattened species will dissapear in Scandinavia faster, than anyone can imagine.

All, and all, I´ve known about this "tabu" problem for a while. But the article I came across today upset me extremly. It shows and proves how so many wild predators are treated - with no respect and by hate and unacceptance driven motives. They are executed by barbarian, unethical means.

The article writes about a wolverine female, disturbed from her den, where she had pupps. Chased for miles by three men on snowmobiles, then ran over several times, as they enjoyed the show of her dieing slowly in pain, as her spine and ribs were broken, before they finally killed her.

The other story tells about a wolf pair brutally and cruelly killed in 2003, wrapped in ropes and plastic, and put in the Holy River in Finnish Lapland. It is a primitve old act to show "despise" and bring shame on the murdered ones.

This is what they do to wolves in Scandinavian Lapland. Photo from the article "Assassinations in Lapland"

All this done by Saami people of the Finnish Lapland. Here is a link to the original article, called "The Assassinations in Lapland": http://blogit.yleradio1.yle.fi/kirsivirtanen/salamurhia_lapissa.

Please, help to stop this unaceptable behaviour and nonsence executions of wild predators in Europe´s last remaining wilderness areas in the Nordic countries of Finland, Sweden and Norway.

Write letters to the government, sign petitions, join environmental groups and organisations. You can also help by donating to support the conservational efforts of various organisations. Even spreading the word and sharing the information with your friends helps a great deal.


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Swedish minister wants to import new wolves - After he killed many

Now the information about plans of importing new wolves to Sweden starts to spread through the media.

Despite the minister´s of environment spreading of lies abroad the country, the Swedish wolves do not suffer as much genetically, as he stresses out. All wolves from the January cull have been examined in the University of Uppsala and found to be perfectly healthy, without genetic anomalities, and to be good specimen.
Genetically healthy wolves were killed.
The 2010 cull was no more than a slaughter initiated by a huge hunting lobby, paid by big money. There are many articles, press releases and proofs for that.

Genetically important wolves were killed not only during the culling slaughter, but also in so called "protective" hunt, when they were apparently spotted close to reindeer herds, etc., and also fallen victim to the so called "poaching" hunt, performed commonly in Sweden and Norway by hunters-wolf haters, who poison them, run them over by snowmachines, shoot them, drown them, etc. and make them "dissapear", especially if they were radio collared. (Please come back soon to read an article about the illegal wolf killing in Sweden and Norway, which is now in process).

There were some wolves with fresh (outcross) genes, from Russian and Finnish ancestry, but they were killed as well. There was no targeting of "only weak or sick individuals" to be killed. Alpha wolves were killed, including parents, orphaning a litter of puppies. A cull hunt of 27 wolves is not performed by 12000 horny rednecks, who don´t even know how to shoot a wolf, which was proven on dozens of photos from the hunt - many wolves were shot several times, before finally killed. Many wolves were injured and escaped, and had to be searched after for several days, left dieing in pain and agony. That is not a professional culling hunt.

New wolves, that will be imported, will end up the same way. And those not killed by aproval from authorities will be poisoned or killed otherwise illegally by hunters - wolf haters.

The reason why so many wolves from Russia and Finland never made it to the Swedish strain, and thus why the Swedish wolf population never got a chance to grow "fresher" genetically, is because they never made their journeys through Lapland and Jamtland (the only transition areas to travel through from Finland or Russia to Sweden and Norway) - being illegally killed by the reindeer herders or trophy illegal hunters.

This is a closed circle and will not get solved unless the Swedish government finally starts facing truth and sovling the large issues of intollerance and unacceptance of wolves, among minority, special interest groups of people.

Effective programs need to be applied to keep wolves out of harm´s way, if we want to see a healthy wolf strain striving and growing in Sweden, Norway, but also Finland.


After he had ordered over 30 wolves to be killed in 2010 (27 in the "cull" hunt, and 12 more in so called "protective" hunt), the Swedish minister of environment plans to have as many as 60 more wolves killed by a cull hunt in 2011, including whole litters born during this comming spring.
This is totally senceless and absolutly unaceptable! We cannot allow that to happen and to let this unethical man continue with this bloody work!
Please consider following this blog, for more updates on the wolf situation worldwide, but with a major foccus on Sweden and Scandinavia, if you wanna learn more about what is really going on in Sweden.

Also, please read how you can help on the menu on the right side of the blog, where you will find links to many petitions and ideas how to take action.

Please write to the Swedish minister of environment and let him know what you think, and that you care about the wolves, the nature and the environment, and show your dissapointment and dissagreement with the recent, very bad deicsion:

Andreas Carlgren, Minister for the Environment
Tel. work: +46 8405 10 00
Email - via the senior registry clerk
Post address: Tegelbacken 2
103 33 Stockholm
SWEDEN

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Entire Captive 12 Wolf Pack killed in Skane ZOO -- for NO reason

Yesterday, while waiting for my delayed plane home, I listed through the freshest newspapers, in a search for the latest news on the wolf hunt issue in Sweden.

While I found none such information in Expressen, I came across an interesting short report from Guwahati, India. It concerned two tigers, that escaped their enclosure in the local ZOO.

"Panic spread immediatley", said the paper. Ten thousand visitors were in danger.

The Reuters agency (the news source) informed about a fast, professional act from the ZOO management and the tiger caretakers, whom took action without a single hesitation.

They tranquilized both predators and put them safely into a secure area. Done, simple.

Now, how does this story relate to the wolves in Sweden?

I am still in shock from the horrifying news outbroke exactly one week after the January 2-4th slaughter of 28 wolves during the legalized hunt. The news struck the whole country. The entire pack of 12 captive wolves, including puppies, was killed in Skane ZOO, after several wolves attempeted to escape.

The press, and later the park management, informed, that two adult wolves managed to break the fence of their enclosure and escaped. They were still on the ground of the animal park, when they were shot to death. The park management made a quick decision to kill the rest of the pack, including the puppies from the summer litter.

This news is as shocking as disturbing. The park management released an official statement, that it was the best decission they could do under the circumstances, as they had responsibility toward the park´s visitors! Part of the park was evacuated, before the wolves were killed.


The ZOO´s spokesman said to the press, that the wolves had to be killed as this was an extreme dangerous situation. On the other hand, he added that all visitors were evacuated and people were at minimal risk. These absolutley controversial statements prove the total incompetence of the park staff.

How rediculous is that??!!

I still don´t understand. I still can´t and never will understand the brutality, and the gutts to do such thing. What in the world is wrong in Sweden?! Every ZOO and wild animal park has tranquilizing guns and their employees must know how to use it. There have been escapes from many ZOOs all over the world, and by much bigger, more agressive and dangerous predators, than wolves are. And not just predators. So Why did the Skane park not use them??!!

Growing up in the neighbourhood of the Prague ZOO, and having a family member who actually worked there, I have many memories of such "adventures".

In one of them, I remember the escape of a fairly agressive monkey, who roamed through the streets of the rural city areas for couple of weeks, before she was found, tranquilized and transported back to safety, out of harm´s way.

It still strikes me on sleepless nights - what could possibly lead the park management to such heartless decission?!

Unfortunattley, I am afraid we´ll never find out. After all, it seems rather "ok" to many, and I was unpleasantly surprised that there was not a single investigation made. I very much doubt there ever will be. As usual, with an uncomfortable subject, this was all just swept under the table.

It is a logic built backwords. In Sweden, dare you to have your dogs in a kennel smaller than the department of agriculture rules tell, even by a few centimeteres. You face an inspection, your kennel might never be "aproved" and you might end up paying a financial fine.

But you can wipe out the entire, healthy wolf pack, kept in captivity, as you please. Apparently, without facing any problems with the law. To me, this is a double moral and also perhaps a proof, that this country needs much more refreshing in it´s laws, rules and regulations. They are confusing and absurd.

After all, this is just another example of how rules seldom comply with ethics.

While this terribly sad case never really became a "case" and is slowly dissapering in the history of "events", Skane ZOO is already planning to get new wolves.

While I searched on internet for information for this article, I came across older news, this time from Lycksele Animal Park, in the North part of Sweden. Few years ago, they also had an escape, in this case of three wolves. Two were killed, and one tranqilized and "left to live". That confuses me even more. There is an option to use the tranquilization gun, but yet the choice is seldom made.

A TV crew made an interview in Lycksele, shortly after the pack was killed in Skane. One of the Lycksele park´s managers told them: "we would act the same, if what happened in Skane, would happen here. We would shoot the wolves, if they escaped".

To read the complete article and also to watch the interview on the news, go to:
http://svt.se/2.33919/1.1842175/vargarna_skjuts_om_de_rymmer

While it is an obvious covering of back of each other, among the ZOO managements, I can´t help wondering what kind of people run these parks and why?!

So while in India, they CAN made a sensible, thoughtfull and human decision to keep the two tigers out of harm´s way, in the civilized country, told to be among the most developed, such as Sweden, they kill wolves who are not even any danger to anyone.

From my reasearch on the web, I came back with one very sad conclusion. It seems to be a common behaviour among Swedish ZOOs and Animal Parks.

And I will not visit anyone of those, treating their captive animals like that. If you wanna change the way things are, do not support them. Please spread the word. People have the right to know.

These three beautiful captive youngsters, will never be seen in Skane ZOO again. They lost their lives because of human incopetence, heartlessness, and lack of sense and sensibility.

The Captive 12 Wolf Pack of Skane ZOO, killed for NO REASON will never be forgotten. They will always be remembered together with their 28+ wild brothers and sisters, slaughtered just a few days before.
-----------------------

Media on the subject of the Killing of Skane Captive 12 Wolf Pack:

THE LOCAL - "Wolves Liquidated after Swedish ZOO escape"
http://www.thelocal.se/24302/20100110/ (in English)

AFTONBLADET - http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article6403568.ab (in Swedish)

SVT (Swedish National TV) - http://svt.se/2.33919/1.1842175/vargarna_skjuts_om_de_rymmer

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If you would like things to improve for the animals, the nature and our environment, the only way is to step out of the silent crowd and do something. Let your voices and opinions be heared. Write letters to decision makers, sign petitions, spread the word. Do not remain passive, please.

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Center (for Biological Diversity) Goes to Court for Mexican Gray Wolf

Quoting the article from the Center for Biological Diversity news letter:
"Last week the Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for its failure to act on our petition to grant the Mexican gray wolf its own place on the endangered species list. The Mexican wolf is distinct from other gray wolves and should be recognized as such with its own Endangered Species Act protections as an endangered subspecies or "distinct population segment." But the Mexican wolf is currently lumped together under the Act with gray wolves elsewhere in the country. And the Service has missed its November deadline to respond to the Center's petition from last summer to fix that.

Earning its own place on the endangered species list would require the development of a new Mexican wolf recovery plan -- which is crucial, since the current one is almost three decades old and contains no numeric population, distribution, or genetic diversity targets. It would also give better guidance for managing the sole existing wolf population -- which hovered at just 52 animals and two breeding pairs at the end of 2008."

KSWT News, January 27, 2010

Please read more here:
Feds sued again over Mexican gray wolf petitionBy The Associated Press

Find out more about the Mexican Gray Wolf from the Center for Biological Diversity:
(many interesting links to facts, petitions, statistics, and more regarding the Mexican Gray Wolf)

Also please read this article:

Learn about the Mexican Gray Wolf:
http://www.mexicanwolfeis.org/ (excellent educational source)

How You can Help - Take Action:
The Mexican Gray Wolves need a strong fight, based on law, paperwork and other acts. All this requires a fair amount of finances. One of the very cool ways to help is to

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Politika kontra Etika - Švédský Skandál (Politics contra Ethics - the Swedish Scandal)

In my efforts to spread the word on what is happening to wolves around the globe (and mainly in Scandinavia), I wrote this following article, for several Czech newspapers, blogs and magazines.

This post is in Czech language. As time allows, I will translate it to English as well. It is my article on the licenced wolf hunt and the total scandal in Sweden.


Po 45 letech se Švédská vláda rozhodla vydat "licenci na zabití" a povolit lov vlků, kteří byli dosud chráněni. Švédsko sdílí svou vlčí populaci spolu se sousedním Norskem a před začátkem lovu čítala tato zhruba mezi 250-280 jedinci. Podle expertů je minimálním číslem pro zachování diversity a genetického zdraví populace, mezi 500-1000 kusy. Přesto, že jsou tedy vlci ve Švédsku silně "pod stavy" a vážně jim hrozí vyhubení, vydala vláda přes 12000 loveckých licencí a stanovila kvótu odstřelu 27 vlků (což je celých 10% celkové populace!).

Tento nesmylsný akt vyvolal obrovskou vlnu kritiky a rozhořčení ze stran obyvatelstva, všech hnutí a organizací pro ochranu přírody, ale i všech médií.
Vlna diskuzí neopadla, jak by se čekalo, ale naopak zesílila a na povrch začaly vyplouvat skutečnosti, které si jistě Švédská vláda za klobouk nedá.

Lov byl povolen od 2.1.2010 a měl být ukončen v únoru. To však nebylo třeba, neboť lovci předvedli dvoudenní brutální jatka a již 4.ledna byla kvóta "úspěšně" splněna, ba i překročena. Několik vlků bylo zraněno a následně ponecháno osudu, někteří byli dohledání až o několik dní později.
Bylo zavražděno něklik geneticky důležitých jedinů, a něklik alfa párů, jejižch osiřelá mláďata nyní bojují o přežití v letošní kruté zimě.

Ministr životního prostředí Andreas Carlgren neúspěšně omílá jako mantru, stále stejnou větu: "vlci ve Švédsku jsou zdegenerovaní, trpí genetickými poruchami v důsledku těžké příbuzenské plemenitby. Účeleme tohoto lovu je "vyčištění" od geneticky slabých jedinců".
Tato nesmyslá formule je však naprosto nepochopitelná pro experty na biologickou diverstiu a vlky, a i selský rozum nad tím zůstává stát. Pokud je totiž vlčí populace zdegenerovaná, znamená to jediné - populace je příliš malá a potřebuje rozšíření o nové jedine a tudíž geny.
Prvním skandálem se stala oficiální zpráva z Uppsalské university, kam byla těla zabitých vlků zaslána pro podbrobnou pitvu a testy. Zpráva zněla: "výsledek pitvy všech zaslaných 27 vlků prokázal, že všichni jedinci byli zdraví a byli dobrými specimeny (vzory svého druhu). Nevykazovali žádné známky genetických anomálií".

Tyto informace vyvolaly další vlnu kritiky a odporu a tak se na povrch začaly trousit další skandální zprávy.

Lov byl financován z fondu na zachování biologické diverzity, částkou kolem 4 milionů švédských korun. Toto je výsměch ekologii i daňovým poplatníkům.

Že šlo o lobby silné Švédské lovecké asociace, není nic překvapivého.
Asociace například zaplatitla vloni Švédské vládě 21,6 milionů švédských korun (přes 50milionů Kč) na výzkum přírody. Z většiny těchto peněz jsou financovány různé projekty a přírodní výzkumy. Proto není divu, že lovci chtějí za své poplatky něco zpět - licenci k zabíjení. Toto a mnoho dalších skutečností svědčí o tom, že se jedná o zaplacený lov za účelem získání trofejí, a tzv. nenávistí motivovaný lov.

Celý skandál ještě rozvětřil švédský denínk DN, který zveřejnil reportáž o loveckém vládním klubu, který má střelnici ve sklepních prostorách Švédského parlamentu v centru Stockholmu. Dle reportáže a interview s vedoucím klubu si sem vládní představitelé chodí v pracovní době zastřílet.

Švédská vláda a její skandální rozhodnutí bylo nahlášeno v důsledku porušení některých nařízení EU pro lov ohrožených druhů organizacemi SRF (Švédská asociace šelem), SNSF (Švédská asociace ochrany přírody) a zástupci švédské pobočky WWF komisi Evropské Unie. Nyní se čeká na její rozhodnutí.

Toto není samozřejmě první akt špinavé politiky proti životnímu prostředí. Svědčí to i o tom, že nejen v České Republice máme vládní a politické skandály a korupci.

Životní prostředí a naše planeta jsou na tom v tomto směru nejhůř. Nicméně je třeba nepřestat bojovat. Jen díky aktivismu obyčejných lidí a organizací, které zasvětily svou náplň boji s lobby proti přírodě, se můžeme radovat z občasných zpráv o úspěších jako zákaz lovu některých ohrožených druhů, vytvoření nových přírodních rezervací, apod.


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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Wolf Communication

Step aside from the buzz of your day. Listen to the cries, howls and growls of the wolves. If you listen carefully enough, you´ll learn to recognaise the lone howls, and the mutual howls of the pack, the puppy sounds, and more.

Wolf communication is one of the most fascinating matters. I´ve selected a few excellent sources of information on wolf communication, and audio records of their fascinating sounds.

About Wolf Howling:
"Wolves howl for more reasons than we will ever know: to bring the pack together, to respond to far-off sounds, or to see who’s out there. Howling increases during the breeding season, which usually starts in February. Usually the alpha wolf initiates the howl. It begins with a long, mournful sound from deep within him. Everything else in the forest seems to fall silent. As if on cue, other members of the pack join in, and the chorus swells to a soulful frenzy."
- excerpt from the website Living with Wolves

Make sure to not miss the
Wolf Howling and Growling Sound Clips:

Also, take a look at beautiful howling wolf pictures, and read some educational information about the wolf communication here.

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