Twelve Wolverines shot last week

WolverineWolverine

Since Tuesday, a total of twelve Wolverines (Jerv) have been culled in different places. Most culling’s have been of males, but also bitches with puppies have been shot.

The last two culling’s were a bitch with two puppies in Tana in Finnmark, and a bitch with three puppies in Ringebu, Oppland. Both these were made on Saturday according to the Directorate of Environment.

The males were shot in Fosnes and Namsskogan in Nord-Trøndelag, Bardu in Troms, and Saltdal and Beiarn in Nordland.

Of the Norwegian predators, the Wolverine causes the most damage to sheep and lamb.

In total, about 5,900 sheep and lamb were lost in 2016, and the need for culling is assessed based on the potential for damage to livestock.

The number of wolverines in Norway is normally regulated during the licensed hunting period of autumn and winter, but every year the Directorate grants additional rights to hunt to protect sheep and domesticated reindeer.

On Tuesday, the Directorate of Environment announced that, extraordinary permission had been granted 26 times, and with the last culling the number is risen to 30.

In the 1960s, the wolverine was in practically extinct in southern Norway, but the number of animals has grown steadily after it was protected throughout the country in 1982.

The wolverine is still under severe threat of extinction, and last year it was estimated that there are 340 adult animals in Norway. The number of litters in Norway has been above the national target since 2003.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today