Finland resumed wolf hunting on New Year’s Day after lifting a year-round protection ban, a move prompted by concerns over the country’s growing wolf population.
Wolf Hunting Resumes in Finland
The year-round protection of wolves from hunting in Finland was lifted as a controversial update to the country’s Hunting Act went into effect. By 7 p.m. on January 1st, 12 wolves had been killed in various parts of the country, according to the Finnish Wildlife Agency’s quota tracker.
Finland’s parliament voted in December to lift the ban, which had been largely in effect since 1973, citing concerns about increasing wolf numbers. There were approximately 430 wolves in Finland as of 2024, according to estimates from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
“The government takes seriously citizens’ growing concerns regarding wolves and large carnivores,” said Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah (CD).
Under the new law, wolves may be hunted during periods designated by the government, from February 11th to November 30th this year. Outside of these dates, hunting will be permitted based on regional quotas, with a total quota of 65 for the year.
Jörgen Hermansson from the Southwest Finland Wildlife Agency stated that hunting in a specific region will stop once its quota is met. “The aim of hunting is to reduce the wolf population in a controlled manner. Removing entire packs makes it manageable and allows us to anticipate what kind of effects the removal of packs will have on the population,” Hermansson explained.
In November, Finland’s independent Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis sharply criticized the government’s drafting of the wolf-hunting legislation, stating the process bypassed regular procedure and lacked a proper impact analysis.
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