Finland has far fewer wild wolves than previously thought - Data reveals there are 150-180 wolves in Finland, where the govt awards licences to hunt them in order to protect farmers and isolated communities.

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 66%. (I'm a bot)

Conservation groups have raised concerns over Finland's wild wolf population after a new census found numbers far below those regarded as naturally sustainable.

Data from the Finnish National Resources Institute show there are currently only about 150 to 180 wolves living in Finland, where the government awards licences to hunt the animals.

A hunt targeting 50 grey wolves was approved earlier this year in Finland, when the number of wild wolves was estimated at approximately 250 animals.

Wolf hunting is viewed as a traditional method of restraining wild populations of the predator, and has been backed by the influential hunting lobbies in countries, such as Norway and Finland, with remaining wild wolf populations, as well as by farmers and people living in rural areas that have seen increased wolf activity.

In Norway a proposed cull on a much smaller wolf population, estimated at fewer than 70 animals, was scaled back after protests last year.

Finland also shares a border with Russia, home to a large wolf population estimated at more than 50,000, making management of the local population more difficult.

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