In Armenia, wolf hunting is open

This is another consequence of the cold wave that swept Europe at the beginning of February: the arrival of wolves in the villages of Armenia. The Armenian authorities have proposed, Thursday, Feb. 16, a reward for hunters who shoot down wolves. They have stepped up attacks in villages, where they come looking for food because of the recent cold snap in this former Soviet republic in the Caucasus.

"Due to heavy snowfall, wolves appear more often in populated areas, and it became necessary to act," said Minister of Environmental Protection Armenian Aram Kharoutiounian, during a press conference. Thus, a reward of 200 euros is provided for each wolf killed by a hunter, a considerable sum in poor regions of Armenia.

KILL A THIRD OF WOLVES

Nearly two hundred wolves in a population estimated at between five hundred and seven hundred of these carnivores, should be slaughtered as part of this campaign, the minister said, stressing that this species was not endangered . "We think this way, we can make the situation less painful and that it will not affect the wolf population," he said.

This initiative has however been criticized by environmentalists Armenian.

"Instead of killing wolves, it would be better to stop illegal hunting and uncontrolled wild animals" that serve as food for these predators, and pushed ahead in search of food in the villages, said Srboukhi Kharoutiounian, responsible for a Armenian environmental group.