150 brown bears killed in controversial Swedish hunt

In the opening days of a contentious hunt in northern Sweden, 150 brown bears have been killed, an event critics describe as “pure slaughter.”

Despite the brown bear being a protected species in Europe, hunters converge annually for this cull. This year, the Swedish government issued 486 licences, allowing the killing of about 20% of the remaining brown bear population. This follows the record cull of 722 bears last year.

A century ago, brown bears were nearly extinct in Sweden, but their numbers rebounded to 3,300 in 2008. Since then, annual culls have reduced their population to around 2,400.

Conservationists caution continued hunting at this rate will bring the population dangerously low next year, with 1,400 bears being the minimum needed for a viable population.

More on the Swedish bear hunt. ‘We cannot continue to shoot this many’: Campaigners hit back at Sweden’s controversial bear hunt https://t.co/6ZnGZJXRrX

— Bear Conservation (@BearConserve) August 21, 2024

In recent years, hunters have also targeted hundreds of wolves and lynx, species conservationists hope to reintroduce in the UK through rewilding projects. Sweden’s recent “largest wolf hunt in modern times” resulted in the culling of 75 wolves from an endangered population of 460.

Thanks to strict protections and hunting bans, wolves and bears have made significant comebacks in the EU. For instance, brown bears in Ukraine have flourished due to a hunting ban during the war.

However, Sweden, along with other European countries like Romania and Germany, has increased hunting efforts. Romania plans to cull nearly 500 brown bears, and Germany is easing rules on wolf hunting.

Brown bears are vital predators, maintaining animal population balance and aiding in seed dispersal, which supports their habitats. Wolves serve a similar ecological purpose.

Magnus Rydholm of the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management defends hunting as part of Sweden’s cultural heritage and a right to protect. Conversely, Magnus Orrebrant, chair of the Swedish Carnivore Association, argues that modern hunting methods make it extremely easy to kill bears, equating it to “pure slaughter.”