Stockholm - Swedish King Carl Gustaf was criticized Friday for saying that he supported culling the wolf population.

"We have to cull the wolf population, otherwise it will explode," the moanrch told Swedish television news during a moose hunt on Thursday.

"They eat a lot, that is a fact," the king added.

The remarks were welcomed by the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management, but were criticized by, among others, the conservation movement WWF.

The king has been chairman of the Swedish branch of the WWF since 1988.

Tom Arnbom of the WWF said that wolves are a protected species in Sweden, with a population of around 200, and there was need for a larger wolf population to avoid inbreeding.

Author Kerstin Ekman, who has often written about nature and animals in her works, and wrote the script for a recent movie called Varg (Wolf), was also critical of the king's remarks.

In an online article published Friday, Ekman suggested the king was "ignorant" and called for a more "informed debate" about predators.

Ekman was elected to the Swedish Academy in 1978 but in 1989 left the body (best known for selecting the Nobel literature prize laureate) in 1989. (dpa)