On the second of January, this year’s wolf hunt started in so-called Sweden. This year, 30 wolves where planned to be killed, in five different hunting areas, in just over a month. Close to 4,000 hunters had registered their interest in participating in the vile killings, of which roughly 300 of these were foreign trophy hunters.
Before the hunt, there were many who criticized the wolf hunt, of among other things because politicians and hunters in Sweden are risking to wipe out all of the wolfs in the long run, when they kill so many, and have set the goal that as few wolves should be allowed to remain.
This year, only Hunt Saboteurs Sweden (HSS), of all the anti-hunting organizations in Sweden, conducted active resistance in the forests against wolf hunt. HSS believes that the government and the hunters over time intends to kill all wolves in Sweden. Based on this extreme context, HSS adapts its methods, and carries out radical actions during the wolf hunt, that sabotages the hunt, with the aim of saving the lives of wolves. At the same time HSS also wants to instill fear in individual hunters, so that they refrain from hunting in the future (which in the long run can also save wolves). Before the hunt, HSS had received massive support from individuals and groups, several international, through a fundraiser to collect money for cars and petrol.
Before the hunt, HSS had explored both different hunting areas, as well as which hunters would participate in the hunt. Once the hunt started, HSS were well prepared, and they had several groups of activists stationed around in different hunting areas in Sweden. In several places, the hunters were found before the hunt started at sunrise, and HSS were able to disrupt the hunt immediately as planned.
For example, in Salungen, Värmland, where several groups of hunt saboteurs drove around the forests and disturbed the hunt, scaring hunters. Of course, the hunters called the cops, and the police then had to spend all their time trying to keep tabs on the activists. Something that the cops didn’t do very well. Because HSS confused the cops, so that the police followed one and the same car with activists all the time. In this way, the remaining activists could continue to sabotage the wolf hunt in Salungen.
Unfortunately, it is common for the hunters to kill many wolves in the first few days of the hunt. This was also the case this time. In most hunting areas several wolves were killed during the first day. However, only one wolf was killed in Salungen, where the hunters neither could find the remaining five wolves, nor hide their frustration at not being able to vent their bloodlust. Hunt leader Anders Olsson spoke critically about this in the media, whose reasoning boils down to the fact that hunters must be given the opportunity to kill an unlimited number of wolves, instead of the limited allocation they currently receive through the state today. HSS, in turn, believes that the five other wolves that were planned to die in Salungen had probably already been killed by the hunters in advance, through poaching. HSS went out in the media and criticized the formal structure for how hunting is decided in Sweden, that it is undemocratic (since it is primarily hunters who have power, influence over how hunting is done). HSS also did a home demonstration at the house of hunt leader Anders Olsson. The result was not long in coming. The national radio in Sweden retracted the statement it had previously allowed HSS to make, accused HSS of spreading lies, and the Swedish minister responsible for hunting issues advocated stricter laws against hunt sabotage. However, none of this stopped HSS’s actions against the wolf hunt, which was going on in the forests at the same time.
Roughly a week after the wolf hunt started in Sweden, 23 wolves have been killed. In Salungen, the hunt has now been called off, as they did not find the five other wolves that they wanted to kill.
Unfortunately, not unlikely, the remaining two wolves will be killed, and the whole wolf hunt will end shortly. Positive, however, is that some wolves seems to have survived, escaped, like the alpha couple in Örebro.
HSS officially ended its actions on Saturday 11/1. HSS says that they are satisfied with their actions, that they were able to disrupt hunts and scare hunters as planned. Nevertheless, HSS mourns all wolves murdered by the hunters during the hunt.
HSS is now withdrawing, for evaluation and reflection on this year’s hunt sabotage. For example, they have had several new activists with them this year, in new areas, which has been very positive. This bodes well for future hunt sabotage. HSS will never allow hunters to freely kill innocent individuals in the forests.
NO ONE IS FREE UNTIL ALL ARE FREE
