Moose and Ferret Added to Sweden's Endangered Species List

Moose and ferrets are now on the endangered list, while the otter has been deemed viable. The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has unveiled its new preliminary list of endangered species in Sweden.

The moose and ferret are among the species now considered to be declining significantly enough to be included on SLU's new preliminary list of endangered species in Sweden.

Despite the moose population increasing significantly in northern Sweden, prompting forestry companies to call for more moose to be culled to reduce grazing damage, the overall population in the country has decreased by nearly a quarter over the past decade.

The increase in moose populations in several parts of the country has led county administrations to allow more moose hunting than in previous years, but this does not affect the endangered status, notes Henrik Thurfjell, the organism group manager for SLU's species database.

"We are not influenced by any societal goals or the forestry industry's desire to reduce the population," he tells TT.

Hunting as the Main Cause

Despite hunting teams concerned about the declining moose population deliberately shooting fewer moose than allocated, hunting remains the primary reason for the decline, according to Henrik Thurfjell.

"There are certainly concerns like warmer climates and diseases, but primarily it's because moose have been hunted," he says.

The biggest concern on the new endangered list, however, is the Baltic Sea porpoise, according to Henrik Thurfjell.

"It is often caught as bycatch by fishermen," he says.

Otter Removed from the List

More species have been added to the new endangered list than those deemed viable enough to be removed.

For a species to be considered viable again, the rate of population decline must be less than 15 percent over three generations. To ensure it is not a temporary recovery, the species in question is kept "in quarantine" on the list for an additional five years. The otter, which is now being removed from the new endangered list, has been increasing for a long time, according to Henrik Thurfjell, partly due to efforts to eliminate chemicals and toxins in aquatic environments.

Meanwhile, the ferret, newly added to the endangered list, may be declining possibly because the otter has returned as a competitor, according to Henrik Thurfjell.

"The otter lives in the same environments as the ferret and occasionally preys on them," he says.