The Environment Agency of Iceland will be paying Iceland’s most sparsely-populated regions for the hunting of foxes, which the agency says have been experiencing a population boom.
In a statement posted on the agency’s website, the agency says the number of foxes in Iceland has increased by tenfold over the past 30 years. Foxes in Iceland, as elsewhere in the world, can often be the bane of farmers. The agency hopes to reduce the damage to livestock caused by foxes, albeit within guidelines of what constitutes humane and sustainable hunting.
The 3-year plan offers hunting subsidies to rural communities, with those having the lowest population density receiving the highest amounts. In total, 30 million ISK will be paid out to these communities for the hunting of foxes.
According to The Arctic Fox Center, foxes are the only terrestrial mammal native to Iceland, and arrived some time during the Ice Age. Initially hunted for their fur as well as to protect livestock, the former practice has since stopped.
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