The East Iceland Institute of Natural History announced last week a campaign against damaged wired fencing which has caused the death of wild reindeer in the region every year. Land owners and municipalities are urged to clean them up.
Icelandic reindeer. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
“There are damaged fencing all over the country which is causing trouble. It looks bad, demonstrates carelessness and is a legal violation on top of that. No one can take pleasure in a number of animals dying painfully because of them,” commented Ásta Thorleifsdóttir, chairperson of the East Iceland Nature Preservation Society, to ruv.is.
The East Iceland Institute of Natural History has tried to have land owners and municipalities do something about the problem for a long time with little response.
“We are planning a campaign before next summer and to send letters to local authorities, urging them to clean up or make sure that landowners clean up damaged fencing and make sure that fences don’t pose a threat to animals,” said Skarphédinn Thórisson, who is a reindeer specialist at the East Iceland Institute of Natural History.
He added the hunting quota for reindeer might have to be reduced because of reindeer that are killed after becoming entangled in fences. “There are few animals and the quota is already low. Everything counts.”
Click here to read more about the entangled reindeer.
ESA
