Five wolves of a pack wandering in the Suomussalmi region were shot by hunters on Friday. The hunt continued in the Kainuu Province, 60 hunters going after the predators. A permit issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to eliminate the whole pack expires on Thursday.
At the Game and Fisheries Research Institute (RKTL), research assistant Markku Suominen says that the wolves that were shot were males that were born in the summer, and weighed about 30 kilos apiece.
The carcasses were moved to the local RKTL outpost for closer inspection.
The pack has been causing significant damage to reindeer herds in the area.
This is the first time that a permit has been granted for the killing of an entire pack of wolves. The number of wolves in the Kainuu region is reportedly higher now than at any time in recent decades.
