The most wolves can be shot in Örebro County - a total of 36. In Västmanland and Dalarna, which share a territory, 18 wolves can be shot; in Västra Götaland, 12; and in Södermanland, six. In Värmland, however, there will be no wolf hunt this winter.
Last year's licensed hunt was halted by a court after appeals from, among others, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. The cancellation means that next year's hunt, which starts on January 2, could be the largest since licensed hunting resumed in 2010.
In the record year of 2023, when 75 wolves were allowed to be shot, 57 were killed.
The decision to halt this year's licensed hunt came after the EU sharply criticized Sweden for drastically lowering the reference value for so-called favorable conservation status from 300 to 170 wolves without a scientific basis. According to the court, the hunt risked threatening the species' long-term survival in Sweden.
The criticism prompted the government to back down and raise the reference value to 220 wolves this summer.
Thursday's announcement was condemned by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, which said the increased hunting put the wolf's long-term survival in Sweden at risk.
"It is outrageous that every fifth wolf in Sweden will be shot despite the fact that the population is highly endangered. Our wolves are already heavily inbred, and this hunt risks making the situation even worse. It is irresponsible risk-taking with a protected and highly endangered species," Beatrice Rindevall, chairwoman of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, said in a comment to TT.
The latest inventory, conducted last winter, showed that there were approximately 355 wolves in Sweden.
