STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: A lot of snow coming in this next report. In fact, if you listen very closely while it's playing, you'll hear the snow squeaking underfoot. Sheep farmers in Scandinavia say their number one enemy is the wolf. But following government approval to hunt those animals, farmers now face another challenge. CNN's Tom Mintier explains.</s>TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are currently at least 12 wolf packs roaming snowy Scandinavia these days. Too many, according to the Norwegian government. Claiming they're killing farmer's sheep, the government has organized a hunt to reduce the numbers.</s>RASMUS HANSSON, WWF NORWAY: Taking out these two wolf packs will create big problems and big conflicts both domestically and internationally and it's not a good road to go down.</s>MINTIER: Environmentalists have denounced the hunt and vow to block it. Three groups are seeking a court order to stop the hunt, but it will not come before a judge until Tuesday. Jo Oevergaard is a sheep farmer in the settlement of Antenboro (ph) in Southeast Norway. Many farmers blame the overpopulation of wolves for sheep deaths in the past year. Officials claim that wolves killed more than 600 sheep last year.</s>JO OEVERGAARD, SHEEP FARMER: I think that most of the farmers want some of the wolves to be killed because there's not space enough for both, this way of farming and for wolves.</s>KNUT STEINSET, WOLF TRACKER: This is wolf tracks from the last day, I think. And I think it's five or six wolves.</s>MINTIER: For wolf trackers like Steinset, yesterday's tracks mean little. At least two dozen hunters using snowmobiles had no luck finding the wolves on the first day of the hunt. The government will allow hunters to kill the wolves until April 6th, when the permit runs out. Protesters have bombarded Norway's prime minister with more than 3,600 e-mails to protest the wolf hunt. Tom Mintier, CNN, London.
Environmental Activists in Norway Protest Wolf Hunt