Finland has a very large population of cervids, such as moose and deer. Due to their large numbers, they cause significant damage by destroying young forest plantations and causing traffic accidents. On the other hand, they provide hunters with both a hobby and food.
The balance of this whole system is overseen by the Finnish Wildlife Agency, which grants hunting permits for cervid species in such a way that each population remains viable and healthy. At the same time, attention is also paid to ensuring that predator populations—especially wolves—remain strong and safe for people, so that they do not need to hunt humans moving in nature due to lack of food. Wolves have not generally been hunted in Finland in this millennium, except for individuals that have threatened humans or specialized in attacking livestock.
This equation seems to be too difficult to grasp for those belonging to the Animal Liberation Front. That is why they have made hunting towers used by hunters dangerously unsafe by sawing them.
The police are currently investigating these crimes and searching for the perpetrators. According to Member of Parliament Sanna Antikainen (Finns Party), it would be important that the police and prosecutors treat these acts as endangerment of life rather than mere vandalism. This wish is worth supporting, so that various political activist groups, which are resorting to increasingly harsh measures, would be made to comply with the law and avoid endangering other people.
Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Demonstration Demonstrated the Selfishness of the Demonstrators
Organized Vandalism in Helsinki, Finland
Greta Thunberg in Search of a Greater Thrill
I am not a specialist, but making the supporting structures of metal would make vandalism more difficult.
ReplyDeleteThere is also another problem in Finland.
ReplyDeleteThe number of bears in Finland has increased, and according to estimates, there are currently around 2,300 bears living in the country.
The Tapiola Nature Conservation Association has systematically appealed against special permits for large predators, i.e., permits granted for their culling.
For this reason, the Finnish Wildlife Agency organizes training courses on how to act when encountering a bear.
The number of bears has increased because it has become practically impossible to hunt them for population control purposes.
Most recently, this fall, three district organizations of the Tapiola Nature Conservation Association appealed against each of the 13 special permits granted by the Finnish Wildlife Agency, which would have allowed the killing of 129 bears. Last week, the Administrative Court of Eastern Finland suspended the hunting permits.
Police tasks related to large predators, like bears and wolves, have increased significantly in recent years, according to a press release from the National Police Board.
"In the police's view, large predator populations should be so well controlled through population management measures that the police should only be called upon to carry out such tasks in exceptional circumstances," says Police Superintendent Vesa Pihajoki.
The police say they can't handle big predator stuff without help from volunteer hunters. So, they think it's really important for hunters to keep their big predator hunting skills sharp.
See:
https://yle.fi/a/74-20177448
https://yle.fi/a/74-20178824
True.
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