The government: Starts the radio tagging of potential damage-wolves – VG

the Government has decided that more ulveflokker to radiomerkes with collars to identify potentially malicious behavior and proximity to the people.

Selection should probably start already in the coming week by the Norwegian nature inspectorate uses a helicopter to track down the wolf in Slettåsreviret in the county of Hedmark, and then numb the animals to attach radio-halsbåndene.

Klimaminister Vidar Helgesen (H) tells VG that this is the first answer in the work to obtain more knowledge about the possible skadepotensiale in ulvesonen.

Should consider skadepotensialet

– When it is now more wolf than before, we must consider whether it increases the risk of damage. We have said that we are going to consider skadepotensialet. We have considered how it might best be done, and come forward to that with radio tagging so we will gain increased knowledge in real time about both the behavior and skadepotensiale – in the vicinity of people, ” says Helgesen to VG.

Background: Helgesen said no to ulvejakt before christmas

The first week of the new year, he’s been exposed to a firework of strong reactions, busslaster with protesters and arguments against the decision before christmas to allow felling of 15 of the 47 wolf that rovviltnemndene would take out.

see also: Cast Helgesen to the wolves

Now send the government and the “ulveminister” Helgesen out signals that they really want to determine the ulvens movements in real time as quickly as possible.

WOLVES WITHOUT COLLARS: Nordic wolf in the play within the fences of the zoo at Langedrag.

Photo: Jan Petter Lynau, VG

– Usually are radio tagging of wolves used in research purposes. Now you will take it in use as a part of ulveforvaltningen?

– It should still be used in the research. But because there are more wolves than before, and because the situation now requires documented knowledge of skadepotensiale and ulvens behavior, so we will ensure a more ongoing information about wolf, reply, Vidar Helgesen.

Read? Several hundred in ulve-demonstration in front of the Parliament

– Is the capacity enough for such a extensive radio tagging and continuous mapping?

– The limiting factor right now is supply of collars. But this is about to resolve itself. It is also ordered new collars in the course of a few weeks. After what the professionals say, it should be possible to radiomerke all of the individuals in specific groups, respond Helgesen.

the WOLF WITH the NECKLACE: A radiomerket wolf photographed from a long distance on the Nesoddlandet in the county of Akershus in 2012.

Photo: Jens Christian Mitchell, NTB scanpix

In practice, it is the Norwegian nature inspectorate which will make the new radiomerkingen and the mapping of the wolf.

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– We take people’s concern for the wolf seriously. The wolf can get people too close and behave abnormally. The purpose of the measure is among others to find out if the wolves have changed the behavior and shows less shyness towards people. If that is the case, it may make it wise to take out more wolves, ” says Vidar Helgesen.

Controversial

radio tagging of wolves in a large scale, is not hassle-free, according to John Durrus Linnell, who is a senior fellow at the Norwegian institute for naturforsking.

I have driven with radio tagging in 25 years, as a research methods. And as research methods, it is one of the most important tools we have. But it is quite another to use it in a forvaltningskontekst, ” says Linnell of the VG.

He warns against that radio tagging also can give a false sense of security in the mapping.

– One can never have collars on all the wolves, so even if they hang necklaces on one or two of the wolves in a flock, it remains all in the herd that do not have collars. And In addition, you have the wolves that comes in over the border from Sweden. It creates a false impression that one has control, ” says ulveforskeren which also points to the cost of a large-scale radio tagging and following the mapping of the wolf.

Believe the government has scope

– I is not only negative, but I hope they have thought through this very carefully and that they have a plan. This can be incredibly controversial and create more disadvantages than advantages, ” says Linnell.

Director Erik Lahnstein in the Skogeierforbundet met Helgesens state secretary Lars Andreas Lunde (H) Friday afternoon:

He confirmed to us that they want to consider all possibilities to ensure that the Parliamentary bestandsmål followed up, but specified that they must follow the law. We are satisfied with. But we believe that they have a greater scope than the government itself see, if there is political will, ” says Lahnstein to VG.

Lahnstein was previously state secretary for the centre party in the present coalition government.