The last few months have been an emotional rollercoaster for those concerned about Norway’s wolves, and the most recent news is heartbreaking. On February 11, the Norwegian court of appeal reversed a recent District Court injunction against a planned wolf slaughter. The slaughter has resumed, and as of February 15 at least nine of the country’s critically endangered wolves have been killed. 

Incredibly, Norway’s plan has been to kill 51 wolves, more than half of the country’s total population. On December 23, we published an alert urging Norway's Ministry of Climate and the Environment, and the Environment Agency to cancel the country’s planned annual wolf hunt, half of which was planned to take place within the protected wolf conservation zone. Then, on January 14, we published a blog with the news that Norway’s Oslo District Court had temporarily stopped the hunt. As noted above, however, last Friday the Norwegian court of appeal lifted the temporary injunction, allowing the slaughter of up to 25 wolves living in the protected wolf zone. 

Norway likely only has around 80 wolves remaining. Today they are restricted to living in an ostensibly protected “wolf zone” that covers approximately 5% of Norway, whereas only 20 years ago wolves wandered more than 50% of the country. Recent scientific analysis has discovered that the wolves who today live in Norway actually originated in Finland, Norway’s original line having already been exterminated by humans.  

This situation is a tragedy for Norway’s wolves. Being shot is a horrible way to die, of course. And there is a reason biologists sound the alarm when population numbers get too low. Genetic inbreeding is permanent, and a single natural disaster has the potential to exterminate such a small population. It is also a tragedy for biodiversity in Norway. Wolves are a keystone species, essential to the health of their environment. As wolf numbers collapse, fellow animal and plant species also suffer. Lastly, it is a tragedy for the rule of law. As noted, the wolves being killed live in a “wolf zone” demarcated for the wolves’ own protection. If humans cannot restrain themselves from killing wolves even in the tiny island of land we have set aside for their protection, what hope do they have for survival?

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