Predators
in Finland
Detested
Wolf
Previously
wolves have been seen as beasts that only deserve to be killed (Rissanen
1990:23). Wolf has been one of the most detested animal. In the past wolves
and people used to live side by side in peace, wolves were a help in hunting
and guarding, but since the animal-husbandry took place in Finland wolves
have become a threat (Pulliainen 1984:15). The hunting of wolves resulted
as collapsing of the wolf population in Finland in the 1880s. One reason
for this was the reward paid by the state (Pulliainen 1974:226-237). Some
researchers believe that wolves had entirely vanished from Finland by the
end of the 1920s. During the period of the 1950s till the 1980s the wolf
population recovered only to collapse again. The main reason for the hostility
towards wolves and beasts in general is the lack of knowledge. Many people
think that a wolf will attack a human being. Ilkka Koivisto (1999) finds
two reasons for this belief. Firstly, at the end of the 1880s it was believed
that a wolf killed 22 children around Turku area. The are no proves however
that it really was a wolf, or it could have been a wolf with rabies causing
its abnormal behaviour (Pulliainen 1974:77). Secondly very hungry wolves
might attack for example a horse but never a human being. A wolf only kills
to survive and it is the people that give it the bad reputation (Rissanen
1990: 23).
|
