Researchers think that Norway’s tiny wolf population, nearly wiped out a decade ago, may have grown dramatically this summer. That pleases conservationists, but worries ranchers.
The total wolf population in southern Scandinavia may be up by more than 50 percent, if the 23 known wolf pairs in Norway and Sweden all bore litters.
That would raise the estimated wolf population in both Norway and Sweden from at least 130 to around 230. With a 10 percent death rate, that would mean an increase of 59 percent.
Ranchers who release their sheep for traditional open grazing were likely to feel further threatened by the rise in the wolf population. They wage a constant battle against predators, and often have been at odds with efforts to restore Norway's once-nearly extinct wolf population.
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