Armenian ecologists defend wolves

PanARMENIAN.Net - Coordinator of the ecological public union, Chairperson of the Center for Bird Lovers Silva Adamyan said that the Armenian government’s decision to set an AMD 100,000 reward for wolf hunting is unacceptable.

“Armenia’s biosphere has sharply reduced in Armenia over the past years. Huge forested territories have been eliminated, what in its turn has resulted in loss of the species,” Adamyan told a press conference in Yerevan, adding that this has led to misbalance in wildlife.

“Wolves have nothing to hunt and that is why they have started raiding populated areas,” said Adamyan.

She added that in a recent conversation with British colleagues, they asked to convey their message to the Armenian government – not to allow wolf hunting. English ecologists told her that no wolves are left in England due to a similar policy.

Citing increased livestock killings, the Armenian government announced on February 10 financial rewards for wolf hunting across the country. The government said hunters will receive AMD 100,000 ($275) for every grey wolf shot by them. The payments will be carried out by the Ministry of Environment Protection. The ministry will receive AMD 10 million in government funding for that purpose. The authorities said the drive was necessary because the number of wolves has been growing and they have increasingly been raiding populated areas and killing farm animals.

The Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection estimates that there are several hundred wolves in the country and they are not on the list of endangered species.