Praised tourist companies continue with dog sled – despite ban

Outwardly, Jukkasjärvi wilderness tours, one of the country’s largest tourism companies of its kind, was hailed. But in the staff room, drag dogs were stapled together, unauthorized drugs were used and the company broke regularly against the rules in the Animal Protection Act.

After DN’s review last spring and several years of injunctions, prohibitions and the white, the county administrative board put the foot down. The company lost its permission to conduct professional dog operations and would discontinue the business no later than January 28 this year.

In practice, a form of business ban that is rarely applied, but the county administrative board saw no other alternative.

– We feel that you put financial revenue before the dogs’ well -being, says Ingrid Ragnarsson, unit manager at the County Administrative Board Norrbotten.

But despite the decision continues the tourists to flow into dog sled tours that are organized on Jukkasjärvi wilderness tours.

– It is about recurring bus loads, says a person with insight into the business.

Four other sources that have been at the company’s large facility outside Kiruna give the same picture. DN has also taken part in films from the last few weeks that show several dog sledding that leave the property and that dogs are kept in rest yards there.

In addition, you can still book tours on the company’s website.

The founder of the company, Mats Rollander, has consistently denied all problems and does not think they are doing anything wrong.

– We do not drive ourselves, but act more as a booking center where we collaborate with other companies that have permission. Much like a travel company that sells trips to others.

But there are still many draft dogs with you even though you lack permission?

– People come here and work, so it’s clear that there are dogs here.

He does not want to answer more questions but refers to the company’s lawyer. Who it is he has not been able to state.

But whoever Owns the dogs does not matter, according to Ingrid Ragnarsson on the County Administrative Board Norrbotten. She says that there is no other player who is authorized to operate at the facility, and only to keep dogs there is illegal.

– If operations are conducted despite the lack of permission, we can prepare a prosecution report.

Why haven’t you been there since the condition stopped applying?

– We have limited resources and right now we do not believe that dogs are suffering, because then we could have made a different assessment.

The company recently rejected its applications for new permits, but still has the opportunity to appeal the decisions. When everything is formally clear, the County Administrative Board will follow up on the case with new visits.

– If we need to take care of 120 dogs based on a suffering, we do so even if the process is formally going on, but here it is mainly about other inappropriates.

The County Administrative Board has taken A decision to prohibit a fine to conduct operations and Jukkasjärvi wilderness tours still has time to discontinue before a penalty ban begins to apply.

The decision shows, among other things, that the company has regularly had too many dogs, that unauthorized veterinary procedures were performed and that dogs were assessed as stressed and under -stimulated. The company has also not had enough staff and is still not considered appropriate to conduct this type of business.

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Damaged drag dogs are stapled together in staff rooms at large tourist companies

Tourist companies are stopped – forced to stop with drag dogs