Sweden to kill 20% of its brown bears in annual hunt

Conservationists say the number of hunting licences granted is too high and condemn it as ‘pure trophy hunting’

Brown bears were hunted almost to extinction in Sweden in the 1920s, but thanks to careful management the population recovered to a peak of about 3,300 in 2008. Picture: iStock

Sweden has issued licences to kill 20% of its brown bear population in the country’s annual bear hunt, which begins today, despite concerns from conservationists.

Officials have granted licences for just under 500 brown bears to be culled by hunters. That equates to about 20% of the total population, according to official figures, and would bring the number of bears in Sweden down to approximately 2,000 – a drop of almost 40% since 2008.