Henrik Ekman

It might sound strange to some of you, but wolves are among the most infected issues in many parts of Sweden. Being extinct in our country for over a hundred years, it returned via Finland in the early 80ies, and we now have just over 200 wolves, mainly in middle Sweden. Where they do what wolves do – attacking sheep, killing a number of hunting dogs every year, and stirring up a fierce debate. Should we have them? How many? How do we compensate farmers? What about the way they threaten the traditional reindeer herding among the Sami? Should we hunt wolves? Under what forms? When should it be allowed to kill a wolf to protect your animals? How can we prevent inbreeding? And underneath it all, the issue is also one about urban versus rural life, about centre and periphery and about the gap between the decision makers and the ones affected about the decisions.

I’m writing a play about the wolf issue for a regional theatre (in the part of Sweden where the trenches in this debate are the deepest, and where most wolves live), and am reading this prize-winning book as part of my research. It’s a good read in that context. It’s clearly pro wolf, but doesn’t shy away from the downsides to having a top predator in your neighborhood, giving room for the critical argument as well. And it looks at wolves from many angles – including mythological (how did wolf become man’s sworn enemy, connected to the devil?), historical, global, genetic and personal. I like how Ekman reasons, and his conclusions make a lot of sense even if many would probably label them as wavering.

There are a few chapters I can’t really see the point of, and quite a bit of annoying repetition, sometimes even within a chapter. But all in all, this is a good overview, nicely packaged with lots of gorgeous pictures.… (meer)