Five Norwegian Wolf Hunters Sentenced To Jail

Five Norwegian wolf hunters were given a jail sentence after being involved in illegal wolf hunting in 2014. The sentence given on Tuesday at the South Oesterdal District Court was the first case ever prosecuted in Norway, where wolf populations are on decline.

Dennis Roger Nordahl, who claimed that he mistook a wolf for a fox on March 14, 2014, received the heaviest sentence from the Norwegian court. The court also said that Nordahl was the head of the illegal hunt.

Nordahl, the main defendant, was given a sentence of one year and eight months in prison, while the remaining four were sentenced to jail between six months and one year. There was a sixth defendant who was not charged.

Nina Jensen, head of WWF in Norway, told France 24 that she had never heard of someone being sentenced for illegal hunting. The court ruling should be a deterrent for illegal hunters, she said.

All European countries, with the exception of UK and Ireland, have wolves in their territory. Norway has one of the smallest wolf populations.

As said by an internationally acclaimed wolf expert, Petter Wabakken, the research on wolf populations showed that the decline in Norway was due to poachers. “This is disturbing, especially considering that we have the smallest wolf population in Europe,” Wabbaken told the Guardian.

Wolves in Norway are targeted because they cause conflict with humans by going after their livestock and being a threat as they roam around nearby schools and homes. The Norwegian grey wolf has been protected by the law since 1970s, but because they appear to be a threat to humans, they get killed illegally.

Norway and Sweden share the wolf population based on the report from the International Wolf Centre. Out of the estimated 380 wolves that inhabit both countries, only 10 percent live in Norway.

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