NORWEGIAN hunters have just been given
a bonanza - they have been bestowed
the right by the wildlife authorities to
kill more lynx (wild cats) than ever
before. Citing the need for keeping the
sheep and reindeer population in check, the Norwegian wildlife authorities say
that the lynx population needs to be
curtailed.
The World Wide Fund, for Nature
(WWF), however, disagrees. . According
to Morten Jodal, WWF, Oslo, Norwegian
sheep died of natural causes and less
than five per cent fell prey to lynx
attacks. Further, the sheep population
was actually thriving because of government subsidies.
While in 1994, hunters
could down 40 animals, last
year they were allowed 54.
And this year, hunters will
be allowed a minimum of
79 lynx, said Jorund Braa, a
senior officer at the Norwegian Directorate for Nature
Management. But "if we get
the impression that the
(lynx) population is larger
than we thought while they
are hunting, this may
increase to 103", he added.
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