Originaly posted by Curtis_Lemay on Politics

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2815927.stm

Norwegian hunters are accused of imperilling the survival of the country's tiny lynx population.

WWF, the global environment network, says this year's quota will allow the killing of about a quarter of Norway's lynx.

It says the population has already fallen by almost half in the last six years.

WWF wants Norway to develop a national plan as a step to try to increase the numbers of lynx.

It says there were about 600 animals in Norway in 1996, but that now there are only 300 to 350.

Yet the 2003 quota has been set at 85 lynx, and excludes neither mothers nor cubs.

Decentralised danger

The hunting season opened on 1 February and lasts until 30 April. Some 35 lynx have already been shot.

WWF says the lynx "face extinction" because of what it calls "two major flaws in Norway's conservation management strategy".

It says: "First, Norway lacks any national goals regarding the lynx population. In some areas in the western and southern parts of Norway authorities have decided there should be no lynx at all, and there are only a few individuals left.

"Second, hunting quotas are not determined nationally, but at the county level, and the main basis for determining a quota is uncertain estimations of local lynx populations and how many sheep have been lost to lynx, which occasionally prey on them.

"In Norway every county that has lynx decides a quota for the season, based on the size of the population in the county. When WWF-Norway called all of the counties in advance of the hunting season, very few of them had any precise idea of the number of lynx they had."

Callum Rankine, international species officer for WWF, said: "Norway must immediately ban the hunting of lynx, especially the killing of females with cubs.

"We need to do all we can to stop the over hunting of this species. The Norwegian Government's wolf cull in 2001 halved the country's population; we do not want to see this happening to the lynx."

Margin of safety

WWF says the national lynx management plan it wants Norway to develop should aim at a population increase to at least 600 animals over four or five years.

In the long term, it wants to see 1,000 lynx in Norway, a level which it says would ensure the 200 reproductive females necessary for the population to survive.

IUCN, the World Conservation Union, says the world's most endangered wild cat species, the Iberian lynx, is fighting a desperate struggle for survival.

There are fewer than 300 of the animals left in Spain and Portugal, in just two groups.

A government cull of wolves in 2001 near the south eastern town of Koppang sparked an outcry in Norway and abroad.

The environment ministry in Oslo told BBC News Online: "The stock of lynx in Norway must be carefully looked after by the administration, but the number being shot this year is defensible."

Well I speak regularly with my friends in Jagarforebundet and this is a complete load of twisted rubbish.

An adult lynx eats in the region of 60-70 roe deer a year. Their population in the West of Sweden which borders directly on Norway is such that roe stalking is becoming a thing of the past. Very carefuly licensed hunting is allowed, the cull is very small and at present is not large enough to prevent population expansion let alone threaten survival. Soon the roe population will run out which will no doubt be followed by starvation or predation of domestic stock.

Wolves are making a big impact on algjakt in the area. Each year Jagarforebundet hold a guest hunt for alg for their politicians most of whom have a licence and a rifle (courtesy of the hunting organisations drive to educate politicians) This year wolves had moved into the area and in the week previous killed 2 alghund. The politicians has to make do with alghund on leash and the bag was less than a quarter of what it normaly was. They got the message that wolves are bad for moose.

BBC strikes again.

1894: You must not confuse the situation in Sweden and in Norway, and (as you know) what what the Swedish organisation J�garef�rbundet says concerns Sweden only. Your description of the situation in Sweden i correct, but the Norwegians hunt the lynx much harder then we do in Sweden. But sure, most Swedish hunters would like to shoot more lynx.

I really have no idea what the facts andfigures are concerning Lynx in Norway, but I do know that the population is kept under thorough observation, there are projects with radio-marked Lynx and the hunting licenses are given only to keep the population in check. There are a lot more Lynx in Norway today than only ten years ago, and the roe deer population in some areas suffer.

Tron

Typical anti-hunter bullshit.

Once central theme in all these socialist organizations is the desire to have the central government control EVERY aspect of life.

The Federal government of the US control no hunting seasons except for migratory birds, and that ONLY becase our Constitution gives the Federal government to enact laws to comply with international treaties. We signed a traty in 1918 with Canada and Mexico to regulate the hunting of migratory birds in order to save them. Now, there's more ducks and geese in NA than there has ever been in the last 70 years or so.

All other hunting is controlled exclusively by the state governments.

The lynx population in norway is not in danger. About the quota of 35... in some parts of norway the quota is free. That should say something about the population. And BTW: The qouta of in my area and several others was filled very fast. Faster than ever. Probably because there are so few of them left that they are sooo hard to find.

For two years know I was hunting in sweden. Rented an entire area for my self and my buddies. Sadly this year we encountered lynx severeal times, wich explained why we didnt shoot as many roe this year than the year before.

We do not want this huntingground anymore.

I dont like Lynx... neither the wolf. They are eating my food.

[ 03-06-2003, 12:35: Message edited by: Dachs ]

I thinke they count family groups and apply some rules about the distance between each observation, so that they do not count the same group twice. Its obviously not a very accurate science. Typically the rules of what distance you need between each observation is based on how big the roedeer population is in that area...Or reindeer in the northern areas.

The reason for the population being reduced from 1996 was that there was to many Lynx, I think the goal is to have a population of 350 and that the hunting in the years to come will be based on keeping the population in check, not reduce it. The number of licenses was doubled and even trippled from 1996, but i think we still have more Lynx now than in fx. 1990.

Tron

It is very difficult to tell the numbers of lynx in Norway.Where i live in Norway there is no limitiation of how many lynx i can shoot.But thats not because there are so many lynx here,but because we dont want them.There are a lot of sheeps here, and sheeps and lynx do not go together.
I live in the western part of Norway and a lynx is very very rare animal to see.
Of course i would like to hunt lynx and also wolves,but i would no like to exterminate them.I dont think there is any danger of that, for the moment.

Dachs! I hunt big game for fun and the sport,not just for the food.99% of my food is not big game meat.

ksduckhunter!
In a democracy everyone is allowed to have their own opinion.I dont think WWF is a socialist organization just because you dont agree with them.
I also dont like Central goverments to control ever aspects of life.Even under cover of fighting terrorists.

[ 03-14-2003, 00:46: Message edited by: Hjortejeger ]

First of all forget Greenpeace and i dont like WWF.I have never heard WWF have tried to force their opion on someone.To work for your opinion is not to force.When have WWF said that no one else are allowed to have another opinion?
I dont like socialism at all.But in a democracy people are allowed to have different opinions,even if you dont like them.
I dont know much about he "Patriotic Act" maybe you can tell me something about it. But it is well known that american goverments are listening to phonecalls and are readings emails to members of he UN security council.

[ 03-15-2003, 03:12: Message edited by: Hjortejeger ]

And I have personally shot one of them, and have participated in hunting two more down.

We have lots of Lynx around in our forrests where I live. It's a very exiting (and cold) hunt.
And it would be fun to have a few roe-deer to hunt for next season to.

Those who think they can stop me from hunting, is in for a sad awakening!!!!

I'm starting to really hope the whole world is in for a major crise, so those "over-ubanized" suckers really wake up, and finding out what really matters here in this world!!
Not only to sit in a cafeteria and drinking "cafe late" and beeing AGAINS everything!!

I know there are some extreme animal protection organizations in the UK,Germany and some other countries.I dont think WWF is one of those organizations.But being extreme doesnt neccesary make them to socialist organizations,or organizations that would control every aspect of our lives.
BTW in Norway we call Greenpeace for Grinpeisa or Grinpiss.In english that would be something like greenpi.

[ 03-27-2003, 03:39: Message edited by: Hjortejeger ]

We don't give a f__k what others think about our managing of our wildlife. We have a goal to have lynx in norway. But since people here still live outside cities we need to trim the popultion a bit. Also we feel that our lynx population will manage a bit of hunting. I feel that we have a lot of info about how many lynx there is.

In the hunting year 2001/2002 there was killed 102 lynx. Five more than last year. There was lisenses for 116 lynx. 87 where shot. 2 where killed in selfdefense(Probably attacing livestock) 12 where killed by car or train.

During the hunt 17 was shot in Nord Tr�ndelag.
14 in Hedmark and in both Oppland and Nordland there was killed 12.

In Oppland they have the two differnt lisenses. There was a total of 14 lisenses. But there is only 7 female lisenses so when the female lisense is foll the hunt stoppes. In 2002 they got to 12 totaly when the female lisens was full and the hunt stoped. The huntes deside themselfs if they want a small female kvota or a large totalkvota.

Lynx is a preditor so the population will always swing from year to year.

A ban on hunting will cause large numbers of uncontrolled shooting and will be very unpopulare here.

Go to: SSB for more info on statistiks.

Also go to:large-carnivores-lcie.org
I consider my self a sosialist and I can't see that greenpeace is anything for me.

Johan

[ 04-05-2003, 21:59: Message edited by: 308winchester ]