Wolf hunting has been legal in Finland for just over three weeks, and hunters have killed 81 out of the quota set at 100.
Three animals shot by hunters were identified as wolfdog hybrids by the Natural Resources Institute (Luke). The dog-wolf mixtures were found among the animals hunted in the southeast and the Kaskinen–Närpes and Peurainneva areas of Ostrobothnia, western Finland.
Legally, the wolfdog is classified as an alien species that should be eliminated from the wild. Based on faecal samples, wolfdog hybrids have earlier been identified in those areas as well as the Kytäjä area of Hyvinkää, northern Uusimaa.
Black fur may indicate hybrid
DNA testing of three other canines shot in southeast Finland was inconclusive. Those samples will be re-analysed during the spring, and may include wolfdog hybrids, according to Jan Ylhäinen, hunting warden of the Miehikkälä-Virolahti area in Finland’s southeasternmost corner.
According to Ylhäinen, one of failed samples was from an individual with black fur, which may indicate that it was a hybrid.
However, Ylhäinen emphasises that identifying a hybrid in a hunting situation is very difficult.
"I don't recognise them in the forest myself," he told Yle.
Confirmed hybrids are deducted from the hunting quota, meaning that hunters can shoot at least three "extra" wolves before the season ends on 10 February.
As of Sunday morning, 81 out of 100 had been killed. About 75 of those were shot within the first week of the year. Since then the pace of hunting has slowed.
"The individuals that were planned to be hunted in advance have been removed. Some of the wolves that were in the area have certainly moved away from the hunting area. We try to ensure that individuals from outside our quota area are not targeted for hunting," Ylhäinen said.
Fangs sent to US for analysis
According to Visa Eronen, Wildlife Manager at the Finnish Wildlife Agency, the hunting season should not be extended, even if 100 wolves have not been shot by the deadline. The current hunting season is timed to avoid disruption during the wolves' rutting season.
"The current cut-off date has been carefully considered. We don’t want to disrupt the breeding season. We don’t want to cause a situation where a pregnant female would be left without a male in a quota area," Eronen says.
Luke is examining the DNA, canine teeth (fangs) and uteruses of the wolves that were killed.
Researchers can use DNA to identify an individual that may have earlier been identified from stool samples.
"Later, we’ll also be able to conduct analyses of kinship relationships and find out which pack an individual belonged to," explained Luke Senior Researcher Mia Valtonen.
The wolves’ fangs are removed from the carcasses at the Luke lab. They are sent to the United States, where a lab can precisely determine each individual age from the root of the canine teeth.