Wolves threaten Reindeer herds

The hunters - equipped with helicopters and snowmobiles - managed to do away with nine wolves, but not Norway's increasingly famous lupine Houdini.

The wolf has been named Martin after Martin Schanche, a veteran Norwegian rally driver - one of the wolf's most ardent defenders.

Thanks to heavy falls of snow and rain, the elusive Martin managed to slip through the net and disappear without trace.

The operation is estimated to have cost taxpayers 3 million Kroner ($331,200) - about $36,000 for each wolf killed.

A successful reintroduction programme begun in partnership with Sweden in the mid 1990s has seen wolves return in increasing numbers to their traditional habitats.

However, although they only account for a fraction of Norway's livestock deaths, officials argue that the growing wolf population means their numbers need to be kept in check.