By RTL News··Modified:
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Sweden has issued permits to hunt nearly 500 brown bears during its annual bear hunt, which begins today. That means hunters could kill about 20 percent of the country’s population. Conservationists are concerned.
According to reports in The Guardian, this includes shooting 486 bears, leaving around 2,000 in Sweden. This means the population has fallen by 40 percent since 2008.
“It’s just trophy hunting,” says the head of the Swedish Carnivore Association. “Wildlife management in Sweden is about killing animals rather than keeping them in the best possible condition.”
Fluctuating numbers
The number of brown bears in the country fluctuates: a century ago, the brown bear was on the verge of extinction in Sweden, but through management the population has recovered. The number peaked at nearly 3,300 bears in 2008. In the past five years, there has been more hunting of large animals. For example, 722 brown bears were shot last year.
“The balance between man and predator”
According to the communications manager at the Swedish Association for Hunting and Game Management, hunters only follow the Swedish government’s wildlife policy guidelines. “It’s all about the balance between humans and large predators.” Meanwhile, some hunters are said to be concerned about the decline in brown bear numbers in Sweden.
If hunters continue to kill bears at a similar rate next year, the country will be just one annual hunt away from reaching the minimum number of 1,400 bears that the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency considers necessary to maintain a viable population.
The brown bear is a strictly protected species in Europe. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are about 17,000 brown bears living in Europe.
