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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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.
Minister of environment Andreas Carlgren, used concern for genetical disorders in the wolves, resulting from excessive inbreeding, as the major excuse to justify the lifting of the ban, which lasted for 45 years.
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