Conservationists are sounding the alarm after Sweden issued licenses to kill 20% of its brown bear population — an unusually high number that could have devastating effects on the species, according to a recent article published in the Guardian.
What's happening?
Each year, Swedish officials give out a set amount of licenses for hunters to kill a select number of bears. However, this hunting season, officials granted licenses for just under 500 brown bears, accounting for 20% of the total bear population in the country.
As a result, after this hunting season, the total number of brown bears in Sweden will drop to 2,000 — a decline of nearly 40% since 2008.
"It is a pure trophy hunt," Chair of the Swedish Carnivore Association Magnus Orrebrant told the Guardian. "Wildlife management in Sweden is about killing animals instead of preserving them to the best of our ability."
Without the right form of protection, predator populations in Europe, such as the Swedish brown bear population, could face serious collapse, per the Guardian.
Why is the brown bear population in Sweden important?
Sweden has a history of overhunting bears. In the 1920s, brown bears in Sweden almost went extinct. However, after the nation established strict regulations and protection guidelines, the bear population eventually recovered, with 3,300 bears accounted for in 2008.
However, over the past five years, the culling of brown bears in Sweden has steadily increased, peaking at a record high of 722 last year.
Bears play a vital role in maintaining the balance of the local ecosystem and help keep prey populations in check. Since the apex predators are omnivores and eat berries and fruits on top of salmon, they are also essential in seed dispersal, according to Down to Earth.
What's being done about the increase in licenses?
Conservation activists are speaking out against the issued licenses for bear hunting and warning of the consequences it can have on the entire ecosystem. Even fellow hunters are expressing their concern with the hope that officials will better protect the brown bear population in Sweden.
"There are those within the hunting community that are concerned about too many bears being killed off," Anders Nilsson, a hunter in Norrland, Sweden, told the Guardian.
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