![\"A](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/0d69f07d5f3554949e87c43b8a7f10c20bd35609\/2023_367_3270_3270\/master\/3270.jpg?width=445&quality=85&dpr=1&s=none\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA Eurasian lynx pictured in a pine forest in Sweden. Photograph: Arterra Picture Library\/Alamy<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conservationists warned last month that the lynx population in Europe could collapse unless immediate efforts are made to protect the animals. Tests on the remaining cats in France show that their genetic diversity is so low they will become locally extinct within the next 30 years without intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are around 1,450 lynx spread across Sweden, about 300 fewer than 10 years ago. Naturv\u00e5rdsverket, the Swedish environmental protection agency, argues that the country needs only 870 animals to maintain a healthy population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Swedish hunters\u2019 association, Svenska J\u00e4garef\u00f6rbundet, admits the lynx do not pose a danger to humans. Henrik Falk, an adviser to the association, told the Guardian: \u201cThe hunt is absolutely not linked to any danger to humans. Neither is wolf hunting \u2013 there are no documented cases of wolves attacking humans in Swedish modern times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe lynx hunt is more about the excitement, and for some hunters, of course, the skin is the motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lynx in Sweden are hunted using dogs. In France, they face extinction within 30 years. Photograph: Johner Images\/Alamy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lynx, like most other game animals in Sweden, are hunted using dogs. The EU Habitats Directive specifies that hunting may be allowed either to prevent damage to livestock or in the interests of public safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is \u201cstrongly questionable\u201d that either of these conditions applies to lynx in Sweden, said Benny G\u00e4fwert, a predator expert at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). \u201cWe do not think the hunters can invoke these exceptions, and we have notified the EU Commission,\u201d G\u00e4fwert said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sweden just had the biggest wolf cull of modern times, where 54 of the animals were killed. Photograph: Deco\/Alamy<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat hunting occurs, we do not, in itself, have a problem with, but the extent to which it occurs in relation to the low damage caused by the lynx is unwarranted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The WWF is also challenging Sweden\u2019s explanation for its ongoing wolf cull, G\u00e4fwert said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Historically, lynx have ranged across Eurasia but have come under intense pressure in many countries from habitat loss, inbreeding, poaching and traffic collisions. In Britain, calls to reintroduce lynx to the wild were rejected last month by the environment minister, Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Coffey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conservationists point to the role of lynx in controlling Sweden\u2019s large population of deer, moose and boar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lynx hunt in Sweden is taking place during the mating season when their fur is thickest, making it particularly attractive to hunters, said Marie Stegard Lind of anti-hunting group Jaktkritikerna. \u201cThis is completely unnecessary \u2013 a pure trophy hunt,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sweden has issued licences to hunters to kill a total of 201 lynx, weeks after dozens of wolves were killed in the country\u2019s biggest wolf cull in modern times. The number of licences to kill lynx throughout March, issued by Sweden\u2019s country administrations, is more than double the number in recent years. The planned cull […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":29992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_post_source_name":"","_post_source_url":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[1648,8299,7024,5307,9233,9196,159,6621,5575,9643,9657,9515,10342,7692,12630,9374,9659,1378,9209,5594,6547,3954,9656,9658,720,36,594],"class_list":["post-29991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","tag-africa","tag-animal","tag-animals","tag-britain","tag-collapse","tag-environment","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-france","tag-fund","tag-hunting","tag-killed","tag-law","tag-lynx","tag-petition","tag-population","tag-svenska-rovdjursforeningen","tag-sweden","tag-swedish","tag-traffic","tag-wildlife","tag-will","tag-wolf","tag-wolf-cull","tag-wolves","tag-world","tag-who"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nsemgh.com\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Two](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/17ab067034554196066a0989e098fa8fb15b98e9\/0_0_5433_3615\/master\/5433.jpg?width=445&quality=85&dpr=1&s=none\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Wolves](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/edcb29a76db545b81b80817ba75b2183e23050a0\/0_887_3500_4377\/master\/3500.jpg?width=445&quality=85&dpr=1&s=none\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n