The Hunters’ Association demands that the legislation on the removal of canines must be renewed.
The Hunters’ Association has rejected the executive ban on the removal of canines from Lappeenranta’s Uplands and considers it incomprehensible.
The Administrative Court of Eastern Finland suspended yesterday Tuesday the so-called Upland herd hunt due to a complaint prepared by the Nature Conservation Society Tapiola-Karelia.
It is a herd of eight animals moving near the eastern border, including a wolf. The Finnish Game Agency granted an exemption to kill the pack, which was intended to protect the genetic purity of the wolf population.
Riistakeskus granted the first exemption permit for hunting the herd at the end of 2022. The hunt did not have time to start then, because the South Karelia Nature Conservation District of the Finnish Nature Conservation Union appealed the application at that time and the permit expired.
The Riistakeskus issued a new permit about a week ago, but hunting is no longer possible due to a new complaint.
– The events are like from a special play. At the request of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the hunters applied in their own time and at their own expense for a new permit to remove the wolf pack at the end of January, when the court froze the previous permit at Christmas. Now, for the second time, there is a new permit in the execution ban, wonders Jaakko Silpola, Executive Director of the Finnish Hunters’ Association.
Legislation for new ones
According to Mätsätäjäliitto, instead of applying for exemption permits, the legislation regarding the removal of coyotes must have clear responsibilities and action models that can be quickly implemented.
According to Metsätäjäliitto, hunters should not have to apply for an exception permit, but the state should be responsible for the approval of hunting right holders and for the fact that local hunters can remove wolf packs. This would be an SRVA, i.e. large-game assistance type activity.
Based on the DNA analysis done by Luonnonvarakeskus Luke, in addition to wolves, there are at least four coyotes in the pack moving in the Upland of Lappeenranta.
The result is based on feces and hair samples collected in November-December 2022.
Canine wolves are crosses between dogs and wolves. Their cultivation and sale has been prohibited in Finland since the summer of 2019. Importation has been prohibited since 2016.