Why Finland's reindeer are dying by the thousands - CNN

[TexasTowelie]

Russia’s war in Ukraine is having far-reaching and potentially unexpected consequences. In Finland, reindeer herders and scientists suspect wolves are crossing from Russia and killing their herds – because the Russian men who would normally hunt them are in Ukraine.

Isobel Yeung travels to the Arctic Circle to find out more.

[2naSalit]

1. I call BULLSHIT on this.

Wolves are leaving ruzzia because they have nothing to eat there. Wolves follow the food sources and they are territorial, establish a 'range' and stay within it as long as there is food. If the food goes away they do many things to regulate their pack size to fit the food base within the established range. There are decades of studies on this. Hunting wolves only destroys pack cohesion which, in turn, will cause them to disperse to other areas.

They 'take' old and sick animals so if a larger portion of the reindeer are being killed, it's because they are old or, most likely, sicker which means it's a habitat issue for the reindeer. The same animals in Alaska are suffering a similar fate as their habitat becomes uninhabitable due to climate change, too many humans in their landscape and pollutants, not their natural prey. As the prey base declines, the wolf numbers will follow shortly thereafter.

I could go on but what's the use?


What a fucking giant crock of stinky poo this bullshit story is!

[littlemissmartypants]

2. Especially the part when he asks president psychopath for help.

The overwhelming amount of people who don't have a clue how psychopaths (also wolves) operate is extremely disappointing.

Love you, 2na.

🎁🎄❤️

[2naSalit]

3. I didn't see or hear...

Anyone who actually knows anything in that entire piece of shit. That the guy mentioned our orange menace was a dead give away at the end.

How low CNN can go is yet to be seen.

[stopdiggin]

4. some of this is true - (while some is shaded a little touchy feely)

wolf populations quite clearly do migrate (and reestablish as packs) to new areas. (evidence abounds) And it is likely that social/pack dynamics has as much to do with that as 'food supply'. The claim that wolves stick primarily to 'old and diseased' for prey - is also - an over-simplification. While the notion that more predation is taking place here primarily because the herds are unhealthy and sick .... Really has no foundation at all. Wolf packs are more than capable of taking down healthy specimens, if and when needed. (and - one should most likely trust that the people practicing centuries of husbandry over both predator and prey - are fairly well equipped in telling the difference?)

Would agree that the 'lack of hunting' is probably a pretty poor explanation for what is going on. Climate change, food source, territory - all much better fits.