<doc.id=1022.a2>
<title> Swedens carnivores­ a big threat! </title>
Today, more than 10 000 reindeers are killed every year by Sweden's four big carnivores; the bear, the wolf, the lynx and the wolverine. Accordingly, the carnivores are the greatest threat against the reindeer breeding. Several reindeer breeders have found it impossible to go on with their business when their capital functions as prey. The opinion in Sweden has in the last decades turned and the vast majority of the population are in favour of an increased number of carnivores in our surroundings. Is it, thou, justified that one group shall suffer from all its consequences? It seems to me like the Swedish authorities doesn't know how to handle this question and in decision making they act irrationally. For many reindeer breeders this question is a matter of giving up there livelihood and part of their culture, and therefore the problem has to be taken seriously and it must be discussed.

Reindeer breeders are especially affected by carnivores as reindeers by custom aren't kept in fences. They are in the spring moved from the woodlands to mountainareas where they have their calves and graze during the summer months. In the autumn they are moved back to the woodlands. It is difficult to protect the animals from being attacked considering the fact that the reindeer breeders don't supervise their animals on a daily basis. It is therefore essential to reduce every risk of loosing capital. 

A raindeer breeder are not allowed to kill a carnivore threatening his herd without permission from higher authority. Since the general policy in Sweden is to keep as many carnivores as possible their requests are often rejected, and in frustration they illegally kill the threatening animal. Having in mind that one single lynx can kill 100 reindeers (weakened by a cold winter with lots of snow and bad nutrition) at one occasion you can imagine the frustration felt by the raindeer breeder when his request of shooting the lynx is turned down. I'm not saying that the lynx is a beast, she is simply acting according to her instincts, killing as many prey as possible to. As already mentioned many reindeer breeders, especially in the counties of Härjedalen and Jämtland, have been forced to give up their business due to the fact that their reindeers functions as prey. I think a reindeer breeder should have the right to defend his herd against threatening carnivores to a greater extent than today.

In the past centuries Sweden's larger carnivores were consider as a big threat. The frequent hunt of them even lead to the extinction of the Swedish wolves. Wolves and lynx are originally not found in mountain areas. They are animals adopted to the forest, but when the animals interests collided with human they were outclassed by human establishment. The carnivores who survived was those established far away from urban areas. Since the opinion has turned in the last decades and the number of carnivores are allowed to increase, the number of carnivores in non urban areas have consequently increased considerable. However, reindeer breeders have always lived in and kept their reindeers in this areas in the winter and with the increasing number of carnivores and the prohibition of shooting them, they are in a precarious situation. 

The reindeer breeders are a small and anonymous group and not much of this inflamed discussion has reached the rest of Sweden. What have reached the news is that reindeer breeders illegally and beastly kills carnivores. In contrast, if a bear kills 40 sheep, like in recently, or if wolves attacks huntingdogs, like in Värmland respective Småland recently, it is justified to shoot them. People can relate to a farmer loosing sheep and a hunter loosing a dog and therefore the carnivore is looked upon as a threat. The same goes for bears and wolves who wander off, ending up in the woods surrounding Stockholm. They first become a big tourist attractions and then after having consulted experts it is decided that they needs to be shooten.

Sweden's larger carnivores are a great threat to the reindeer breeding. According to me a reindeer breeder should have the right to protect his capital without first having to ask for permission. I don't realise why one small minority group has to face all the concequeses concerning Sweden wanting to increase its number of carnivores. It is relevant to ask weather reindeer breeding just are going to function as a food producer enabling Sweden to pride itself having rescued the wolves and the lynx.
</doc>