The Swedish government remains under fire from ecologists following the end of the country’s first official wolf hunt in 45 years. The hunt ended last Tuesday after the quota of 27 wolves was met by hunters in just four days, drawing widespread criticism from those opposed to the cull.

Anonymous death threats were made to several of the hunters who were involved in the first parliamentary-sanctioned wolf hunt since 1964; after a decision was made last October to limit to just 210 the country’s wolf population.

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Moose are multiplying in Scandinavia with local biologists estimating that numbers of moose in the region today are higher than they have been for centuries, perhaps since the Ice Age.

According to reports by United Press International, there were 30 times more moose in Scandinavia at the end of the 20th century than there were a century earlier.

As a result of the growing number of moose in the area, people have reported higher than usual numbers of collisions between moose and cars and trains.

The increased population of moose has drawn a higher than usual number of predators into the region, including wolves. Wolves, which are often considered pests by farmers, as they sometimes prey on livestock, are considered a rare species in Scandinavia and are one of the few animals which prey upon moose.

In addition, carrion-eating animals, such as ravens and foxes have been multiplying in Scandinavia in recent years, also a probable result of increased numbers of moose.

Biologists are worried that the higher than usual numbers of moose could adversely affect the delicate balance of the ecosystem. In particular, the animals pose a danger to the endangered plants and young trees which make up the moose’s regular diet.

Farmers in Norway have been taking drastic measures to rid their farms of wolves, leading police and conservationists to team up in an effort to protect the animals. According to United Press International, Norway’s police have joined forces with environmentalists in a campaign to save wolves from death by poison or explosives, two of the ways famers are ridding themselves of what they consider to be a pest.

According to local researchers, as many as half of all wolf deaths in Scandinavia are caused by illegal hunting practices – in fact, many of the deaths are caused by farmers who claim the wolves are attacking their farm animals.

The situation has become tense. Kenneth Larsen of Hedmark University College is a researcher who tracks wolves for study. He recently went looking for a wolf he has been tracking, only to return to his car and find his tyres had been slashed.

Larsen’s college, Petter Wabakken, said that he and his team have found evidence of both poison and explosives being deployed against wolves and against their lairs. The region along the border with Sweden in Norway’s southern area is one of the most dangerous areas for wolves, he says.

According to Knut Maelen of the Hedmark Police District, the tyre slashing incident is just one indication of how bad things have become. He describes it as an “inflamed situation.”