Crowded between the territories in Gävleborg - moving among people: "Very many wolves on the county's surface"

In mid-June, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency decided that the Gävleborg County Administrative Board may make a decision on licensed wolf hunting in the region. The purpose of the license hunt may be, among other things, to reduce the concentration of wolves where it is greatest in order to limit the socio-economic consequences and improve the possibilities for keeping domestic animals.

The County Administrative Board's preliminary survey of the wolf population shows that the county was affected by 120 wolves this winter. Which is the highest measurement ever in the county, according to the county administrative board Gävleborg.

This means that the wolf population in Gävleborg County has increased two winters in a row and that the wolf population is well above the minimum level set by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency for Gävleborg County of 35 wolves. Something that has led to concentration in certain areas and that the wolves are moving closer to humans.

- Regarding protection hunts for wolves during the year 2020, the County Administrative Board in Gävleborg has granted two out of five applications. One of the protection hunts was appealed to court by the association Jaktkritikerna, but in the end two individuals were killed, one in Hofors municipality and one in Ovanåker municipality, says Sandra Wahlund, at the county administrative board in Gävleborg.

The County Administrative Board also recommends residents in the area to set up predator fences and to keep domestic animals close to the homes. Something that Eva Söderholm, teacher and horse owner, thinks is ineffective.

- Predatory fences are expensive and difficult to care for. For example, the grass at the fence must always be cut to a few decimetres, which is time-consuming for large pastures. If, on the other hand, the pastures are made smaller, grass still needs to be cut because the animals lack food in the pasture. In addition, many natural areas grow again when we can not move the animals and we then lose open landscapes and fields. I myself have moved my horses from summer work to the stable, and the neighbor has brought in all the sheep, says Eva Söderholm.