Finally there is some really good news in world of the wolves. It has been a long time coming but this was worth the wait. The Government of Sweden, who were very unrelenting in their support of the wolf hunt last January, made an announcement on Wed., Aug. 17th that there would be no wolf hunt in the winter of 2012. No licenses to hunt the wolves will be issued for the time being. However, wolves that pose a danger to other animals may still be hunted on an individual basis.

This announcement is sweet indeed to wolf lovers around the world. However it does not imply a change of heart on the part of the Swedish government. It must be seen for what it really is, an attempt to appease the European Union whose claim is that Sweden's current wolf policy of licensing the wolf hunt is in breach of their environmental regulations. In other words, the Swedish government made the change in order to escape the possibility of being summoned before the European Union's Court of Justice.

But irregardless of the real reason for the cancellation of the wolf hunt, the fact remains that a victory has indeed been claimed for the wolves. This coming winter season there will be no gun shots to be heard, no snow mobiles revving up their engines to run down the wolves. This coming winter the wolves of Sweden will be left to run wild and free. In peace they will live, love and hunt without the ever present fear of man before them. It will indeed be a beautiful winter in Sweden.