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WOLF

Wolf on course spoils Norway golfer’s drive

A golfer in Norway has complained of having his drive spoilt by a wolf which leapt onto the course just as he was approaching the thirteenth hole.

Wolf on course spoils Norway golfer's drive
The wold sizing up one of the holes on the course. Photo: André Aass/Facebook

“I was completely alone on the golf course and was about to putt the ball at the thirteenth hole. That's when I saw it at the other end of the green looking at me,” André Aass told Norway's TV2 broadcaster.

At first, Aass didn't know what to make of the unusual visitor.

“I wondered what it was, if it might be a dog. But I have two big German Shepherds myself, and this was bigger,” he said. “I put down my putter and took out my five iron so that I would be prepared to swing if it got dangerous.” 

Aass' concern was not entirely unfounded. During the summer months, at least five lambs have been killed by wolves in the forests surrounding Oslo, prompting The County Governor of Oppland to issue a hunting license to kill the unwelcome predators.

Despite the wolf's menacing presence, Aass was determined to finish his round. 

“The next hole went fine, but at the 16th, I got nervous. That hole is very close to the forest,” he told local newspaper Romerikes Blad. “I drove the ball from the tee too quickly and got a really bad first drive.”

There have been several sightings of wolves near Oslo in recent years, though they have not been common in the area previously.

“Everything indicates that they are Swedish wolves whose home territory is on the Swedish side of the border,”  Ole Knut Steinseth from the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate told Norway’s VG newspaper.
 
“There should be no breeding wolves west of Glomma. If wolves begin to establish themselves, they should be removed. It’s a political decision.”

ANIMALS

Spain moves to ban wolf hunting and give species protected status

Spain has taken steps to award the Iberian wolf protected status which will mean a complete ban on hunting the species.

Spain moves to ban wolf hunting and give species protected status
Photo: Mark Chinnick/Flickr

The Committee of Spain’s Natural Patrimony – which includes representatives from each of Spain’s regional governments – voted to include the wolf (Canis Lupus) on the national list of protected species along with the Iberian Lynx and the Cantabrian Brown Bear.

It now has to be signed off by Environmental minister Teresa Ribera.

Farmers however were quick to condemn the move, arguing that a nationwide hunting ban would lead to more attacks on their livestock.

Hunting of the Iberian wolf is currently only allowed north of the Duero but those populations south of the river were already listed as a protected species.

Spain is home to an estimated 1,500-2,000 Iberian wolves, with 90 percent of the population found in the northern regions of Castilla y León, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia.

But wolf populations have been detected even within the Madrid region in the sierra less than an hour’s drive from the capital.

Farmers Union UPA accused the government of igoing against the interests of farmers and insist that the number of attacks on livestock have grown alongside wolf conservation programmes.

“It is we livestock farmers who are in danger of extinction,” it said in a statement.  

Conservation group Ecologists in Action however, welcomed the new protection but urged authorities to work with farmers on ways to protect cattle without harming wolves.

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