Campaigners denounce Sweden’s annual bear cull as trophy hunting

A controversial bear cull in Sweden has been described as “pure trophy hunting” by conservationists, with more than 150 shot just two days after the annual event began.
More than 480 brown bears, accounting for 20 per cent of the population in Sweden, are expected to be killed in a cull, which began on Wednesday and is scheduled to last until October 15.
Police are accompanying hunters for the first time this year, on foot and via drones, to prevent any potential interference by protesters who are concerned about the number of licences granted by officials.
It follows an increase in protests against the culling of large numbers of wolves and lynxes across Sweden as part of its predator management strategy.
The government has issued licences to shoot 486 bears this year, down on the record number of more than 640 last year. The bear population in Sweden is estimated to be about 2,400.
Conservation groups argue that the cull risks reducing the number of bears below the level needed for a viable population. “A hundred years of brown bear conservation progress in Sweden is right now being undone at an alarming speed,” Sweden’s Big Five, a campaign group, said.
Campaigners also pointed out that bears do not pose a significant threat to livestock or humans, with only two people killed in incidents with bears over the past 20 years.
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“Bear hunting is very much about pure trophy hunt[ing],” said Magnus Orrebrant, chairman of the Swedish Carnivore Association. “Wildlife management in Sweden is about killing animals instead of preserving them.”
Orrebrant said that the bear population was also suffering because hunters have “killed off too many moose” in Sweden. He called for a focus on nature tourism rather than hunting, arguing that it would bring in more revenue compared with selling hunting licences. “They are a great tourist attraction and should not be reduced to minimum levels,” he added.
Brown bears were hunted to near extinction in Sweden by the 1930s, but their population has since recovered to reach a peak of 3,298 in 2009.
Jonas Kindberg, a researcher with the Scandinavian bear project run by the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences, said a stable bear population would be about 2,400. “During the hunt it is very difficult to tell females from males, and the females are much more valuable to the population,” he said. “Therefore, you risk ending up in a situation that may take a very long time to repair.”
In 2018, scientists found that female bears in Sweden had adapted to a law that protects mothers from hunters, evolving to stay with their cubs longer than the usual 18 months. Data showed that a single female bear was four times more likely to be shot than one with a cub.