SMS to help stop the wolf hunting in Sweden

Please, help save wolves in Sweden!

!Help us with the fundraising for activities to stop the wolf hunting!

Even little donation means a lot! Please, share this information with your friends.

THANK YOU!

The interest group Bevara och Skydda Vargen (Save and Protect the Wolf), together with Nordic Predator Network (Nordiska Rovjurnetverket) are one of the largest and most proactive groups, that help save and protect the Swedish wolves.

Please, help them fundraise financial means to help the Swedish Wolves.

Send an SMS from your mobile phone with the word VARG and add either number 10, 25, 75 or 100 as en equivalent to the amount of Swedish crowns you would like to donate:

VARG 10 or VARG 25 or VARG 75 or VARG 100

!Important Note!: This is possible only from Swedish mobile phones

If you are outside the country, or prefer another way to send dontaion, you can use this account nr.:

Nordiska Rovdjursnätverket
Bank: Swedbank
Account nr. 914615231-0
Clearing nr.: 8156-2
IBAN: SE6980000815629146152310
BIC/SWIFT: SWEDSESS

ALL profits will support the group´s work for the wolves and their survival.

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Wolf - Endangered Species in Sweden and World

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Authopsies prove all wolves were healthy!

Authopsies performed on all the wolves, officially shot during the brutal three day hunt in Sweden (January 2-4th, 2010) prove all of the wolves were healthy and in a good condition.

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.

It is now more clear by each day, that it was a cover up of the real motives for the brutal, unethical hunt. Something that thousands of wolf lovers, experts and conservationalists have been pointing out already before the hunt started.

The experts at the Upsala university, that performed the authopsies, clearly state that the wolves were in great condition, beautiful specimen with no sings of genetic defects. The only thing that points out at inbreeding is the small amount of litters and small size of litters born. The scientists also say that culling the recent population is a disaster, because the gene pool of each remaining individual will be smaller.

Please read the following articles, which cover the recently perfomed authopsies and their results:

"All wolves were healthy"
(google translate version)

First five of the 27 wolves shot since the wolf hunt was launched last Saturday have been disscet at SVA, National Veterinary Institute in Uppsala.

Jonas Malmsten: "All dissect wolves were completely healthy. More dead wolves are expected to come in today and next week, expect veterinarians will be available."

"Even a large male wolf, who weighed 53.5 kilograms just before he was shot, "said Jonas Malmsten, assistant state veterinarian at SVA.

"He is a fine specimen, with well-developed muscles and large fine teeth. He does not have any specific injuries or lesions,"he says.

All wolves that underwent the authopsy so far have been healthy before they were killed. The results of authopsies will, among other, be sent to Environmental Protection Agency, which compiles the results of this year's hunting of wolves.

Original source in Swedish: http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/varmland/nyheter/artikel.asp?artikel=3357355

"Healthy Wolves Killed" (in Swedish)
http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/friska-vargar-skjutna_4078911.svd

Excerpt from this article:
"it is impossible to know what wolves are inbred and which ones have new blood.- Environment Minister has misunderstood if he thinks it's possible to shoot the "right" wolf. We can not separate the inbred wolves from the new, "says Olof Liberg.

Also, please read this blog entry.

Read another related article:

"Minister dogged by more wolf hunt criticism" (in English)http://www.thelocal.se/24362/20100113/

Minister Carlgren left for an out of coutnry holiday and refuses to speak with the scientists...

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Sweden´s leading wolf researchers highly critical towards the genetic justification of the wolf hunting in Sweden

Sweden's leading wolf researchers are highly critical of the environment minister Andreas Carlgren justifying this year's hunting of wolves by "bad genes"


Female wolf killed right outside Kristinehamn on the very first day the ban was lifted, January 2, 2010

"It created an expectation that all shot animals would be deformed, which is a total misconception, "says Olof Liberg, coordinator of the wolf research project Skandulv.

In both opinion articles and interviews, Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren reasoned decision of the Government for the first time in almost fifty years, the general hunting in 27 wolves in wolves are not genetically healthy. He adds, moreover, that the rapid growth of genetically diseased wolves threaten to jeopardize the objective of the whole predator policy.

This year's hunting of wolves is largely completed. The dead wolves have been sent to National Veterinary Institute for analysis.

It's healthy and beautiful animals broadly, "says Carl Hård af Segerstad, Head of Unit at SVA.But it is not at all with the picture that the wolves are sick, creating debate.

So far, we dissect 24 animals. We've found a few little things but nothing serious, "said Carl Hård af Segerstad.

According to Olof Liberg, it is also exactly what the researchers had expected.

Carlgren has spread this misconception by his talk about the replacement of diseased wolves, "says Olof Liberg.

Previous studies have shown that about 10 percent of the wolves carry an abnormality. But the most serious effect is on reproduction. Litter size, the amount and persistence has been associated with inbreeding, "says Olof Liberg.

Hans Ellegren, professor of evolutionary biology at Uppsala University, has long followed the Swedish wolf. Nor does he see that inbreeding among the wolves is an argument for hunting. On the contrary, reduces the genetic variation in the stem for each animal shot.

As long as the strain is so small you can not scientifically justify hunting, "says Hans Ellegren.

Therefore, researchers agree that the most important measure of the wolf's future is to move into new wolves.

The hunt is only one way to get a wider acceptance of wolves, "says Olof Liberg.

According to parliamentary decision last fall to more than 20 wolves in the coming years to be the Swedish population. In the first instance, wolves who voluntarily walks into Sweden in the north moves southward. In the alternative might be required for import of wolves.

It becomes difficult to gain acceptance locally to release new wolves in an area, "said Susanna Löfgren, responsible for wildlife management in the Environmental Protection Agency.

Environment Andreas Carlgren is on holiday abroad and have chosen not to comment on criticism from the scientific direction.

Surce: http://www.dn.se/nyheter/sverige/inavel-hos-fa-av-de-skjutna-vargarna-1.1025971
author: Annika Nilsson, annika.nilsson @ dn.se

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Article by Claes Andrén, Professor of Conservation Biology, Nordens Ark

Source: http://www.nordensark.se/
Published with an expressed premition by the author.

(Please excuse the not so acurate translation, article has been google-translated).

Nordens Ark is closely monitoring the measures taken to ensure a vibrant Swedish wolf population The wolf is classified as acute danger of extinction in our country and the goal of conservation efforts must be accompanied by actions to create the conditions for long-term functioning wolf tribe. There are two important starting points to consider, first, to increase the genetic variation, and secondly to increase the total population size in the country. To increase the genetic variation can be achieved by facilitating the immigration or actively move here unrelated animals. In the case of minimum population size needed to eventually maintain a favorable conservation status, researchers' recommendations vary from 500 to 2000 animals.

The governmental reasoning of the wolf hunt was stated by Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren in the morning news in P1 on Monday, 4 / 1 as part of a long-term conservation of the species, but the logic of this is difficult to understand. The previous government set an interim target of just over 200 wolves, and the current government has decided to "freeze" the wolf population size to 210 in order to later evaluate. This is less than half of what researchers in population genetics at Uppsala University consider to be the minimum population size required for the wolf population to survive in the long run. Despite this, Parliament decided on a firing of 27 wolves.

Allowing the presence of large carnivores in one country may involve conflicts of interests. When wolves attack domestic animals should, of course, the affected owners be compensated and farm animals as far as possible protected. By protective for wolves that cause these conflicts are removed. A wolf pack has a social system in which the team is led by an alfa pair, one male and one female, and their offspring. As long as the group has this structure, it works relatively stable as a cohesive unit. Older offspring, especially males, tend to eventually leave the group in search of a female, and form a new territory. If you want to hunt reduce conflict between wolves and domestic animals, should be put into protective of designated areas where these problems are greatest, we should also strive to remove the entire family groups, ie alpha pair and their pups.

Canadian studies show that the two alpha animals shot, there is great risk that the remaining young animals are lost and spread and can cause more problems than it would solve the quest. The hunt is now carried on the county administrative boards have not received a directive to exclude alpha animals, but the people as you got suspended, we have not identified the turf where conflicts with domestic animals could justify hunting. Five counties have received a fixed allocation of animals and then have the hunt were basically free. According to a circular ring to the various counties as presented in the report on Monday evening on January 4, almost one third, 7 of 25 wolves, were injured shot and killed later after hours of suffering.

Viggo Nielsen at the County Administrative Board of Dalarna is critical to how the hunt conducted and believes that it is not always exercised by skilled hunters. The researcher and veterinarian Jon M Amemo in the Scandinavian wolf project believe that such a game should have been done by hunters with special knowledge about wolves, but such claims have been under Per Risberg on Environmental Protection Agency did not exist. (Read more www.svt.se Report 4 / 1) We wonder what the Government wants to achieve with this policy. For two days, the race largely closed, scattered animal has been shot in many different territories. It has thus not reduced the risk of conflicts with domestic animals, has been hunting at the time of shooting wolves without knowing it's alpha animal, and at worst it has been created when groups of misguided wolves spread into the countryside. It has allowed hunting in an acute endangered predators in conflict with scientific recommendations on the minimum population size required for a viable wolf population. We follow with interest the measures which the Government proposes to ensure that the 20 new wolves enriches the Swedish wolf population.

Claes Andrén
Professor of Conservation Biology
Scientific Director Nordens Ark

The whole article in Swedish:

Nordens Ark följer noga de åtgärder som vidtas för att säkerställa en livskraftig svensk vargstam. Vargen är klassad som akut utrotningshotad i vårt land och målet med bevarandearbetet måste vara att med olika åtgärder skapa förutsättningar för en långsiktigt väl fungerande vargstam. Det finns två viktiga utgångspunkter att ta hänsyn till, dels att öka den genetiska variationen, och dels att öka populationsstorleken totalt i landet. Att öka den genetiska variationen kan ske genom att underlätta invandring eller att aktivt flytta hit obesläktade djur. När det gäller minsta populationsstorlek som krävs för att på sikt vidmakthålla en gynnsam bevarandestatus, så varierar forskarnas rekommendationer från 500 till 2000 djur.

Den av Riksdagen beslutade vargjakten uppgavs av miljöminister Andreas Carlgren i morgonnyheterna i P1 måndagen den 4/1 vara ett led i ett långsiktigt bevarande av arten, men logiken i detta är svår att förstå. Den förra regeringen satte upp ett etappmål på drygt 200 vargar och den nuvarande regeringen har bestämt sig för att ”frysa” vargstammens storlek till 210 för att längre fram göra en utvärdering. Detta är mindre än hälften av vad forskare inom populationsgenetik på Uppsala universitet anser vara den minsta populationsstorlek som krävs för att vargstammen skall överleva på sikt. Trots detta beslutar Riksdagen om en avskjutning av 27 vargar.

Att tillåta förekomsten av stora rovdjur i ett land kan innebära konflikter med olika intressen. När vargar angriper tamboskap ska givetvis de drabbade djurägarna ersättas och tamboskapen så långt möjligt skyddas. Genom skyddsjakt kan vargar som orsakar dessa konflikter tas bort. En vargflock har ett socialt system där gruppen leds av ett alfapar, en hane och en hona, och deras ungar. Så länge gruppen har denna struktur fungerar den relativt stabilt som en sammanhållen enhet. Äldre ungar, främst hanar, brukar så småningom lämna gruppen för att söka en hona och bilda ett nytt revir. Om man med jakt vill minska konflikten mellan varg och tamdjur, borde man sätta in skyddsjakt i utpekade områden där dessa problem är störst, man borde också sträva efter att ta bort hela familjegrupper, d.v.s. alfaparet och deras ungar.

Kanadensiska studier visar att om båda alfadjuren skjuts finns det stor risk att de kvarvarande unga djuren blir vilsna och sprids och kan ställa till större problem än de man ville lösa med jakten. I den jakt som nu bedrivits har länsstyrelserna inte fått direktiv att undanta alfadjuren, utan vilka individer som helst fick skjutas, man har inte heller pekat ut de revir där konflikterna med tamdjur skulle kunna motivera jakt. Fem län har fått en bestämd tilldelning av djur och därefter har jakten i princip varit fri. Enligt en rundringning till de olika länen som redovisades i Rapport på måndagskvällen den 4/1 har nästan en tredjedel, 7 av 25 vargar, skadeskjutits och avlivats senare vid eftersök.

Viggo Nielsen på Länsstyrelsen i Dalarna är kritisk till hur jakten bedrivits och menar att den inte alltid utövats av skickliga jägare. Forskaren och veterinären Jon M Amemo inom skandinaviska vargprojektet anser att en sådan jakt borde ha skett av jägare med särskild kunskap om vargar, men sådana krav har enligt Per Risberg på Naturvårdsverket inte funnits. (Läs mer http://www.svt.se/ Rapport 4/1) Vi frågar oss vad Regeringen vill uppnå med denna politik. På två dagar har jakten i stort sett avslutats, spridda djur har skjutits i många olika revir. Man har på detta sätt inte minskat risken för konflikter med tamdjur, man har vid jakttillfället skjutit vargar utan vetskap om det är alfadjur och i värsta fall har man då skapat grupper av vilsna vargar som sprider sig i landskapet. Man har tillåtit jakt på ett akut utrotningshotat rovdjur i strid med forskarnas rekommendationer om minsta populationsstorlek som krävs för en livskraftig vargstam. Vi följer också med intresse de åtgärder som regeringen föreslår för att säkerställa att 20 nya vargar berikar den svenska vargstammen.

Claes Andrén

Professor i bevarandebiologi

Vetenskaplig ledare Nordens Ark

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