Sweden's regional county administrative boards have officially announced a record-breaking wolf hunt for the upcoming winter season. A total of 72 animals are permitted to be shot, with the licensed hunting period scheduled to begin on January 2nd.
Eva Olsen, who serves as the head of the nature and water department at the Västra Götaland county administrative board, defended the decision during a press conference. She stated that the objective of reducing the wolf population remains a priority and that the licensed hunt is considered necessary to achieve that goal.
The upcoming season follows a period of significant disruption, as last year's licensed hunt was halted in court after appeals from organizations such as the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. Because the previous season was cancelled, the upcoming hunt is expected to be the largest since licensed wolf hunting was reintroduced in 2010. For historical context, in 2023—the previous record year—authorities granted permission to shoot 75 wolves, which ultimately resulted in 57 animals being killed.
Mikael Samuelsson, deputy chair of the Swedish Hunters' Association, welcomed the announcement. He noted that it is entirely natural for there to be more wolves this coming winter given that there was no hunt during the previous year.
The decision to pause the licensed cull for 2026 followed intense criticism from the European Union, which challenged Sweden for lowering its threshold for a "favourable conservation status" from 300 to 170 wolves without scientific backing. A court previously ruled that the hunt risked threatening the long-term survival of the species in Sweden. This backlash led the government to backtrack and raise the reference threshold to 220 wolves over the summer. To avoid further legal hurdles, the county administrative boards have opted to base their decision for the upcoming winter season on a reference figure of 300 wolves.
Despite these adjustments, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation has strongly condemned the decision, warning that the expanded hunt places the long-term survival of the species at risk. Beatrice Rindevall, chair of the organization, stated that it is "outrageous" that one in five wolves in Sweden will be allowed to be shot while the population remains severely threatened. She added that the wolves are already heavily inbred and that this hunt risks making the situation even worse, calling it an irresponsible risk to take with a protected and endangered species.
