In Sweden it is ok to hunt 500 bears, environmentalists on a war footing:“So they will become extinct”

Hunting season kicks off in Sweden, with license to kill 486 brown bears.Last year, 722 were killed.Environmentalists are worried about the drastic decline in the species we are facing

BOLOGNA – It starts in Sweden today the hunting season and the authorities, for this year, have decided to grant hunting licenses almost 500 brown bears (486 to be precise). Animal rights activists are on a war footing, given that this number represents approximately 20% of the total bear population, which has already decreased in recent years due to culling.Last year alone, for example, the number of bears killed during the hunting season was 722 specimens, after a law in November 2022 expanded the possibility of hunting them.The fear of those who love animals now is that the loss of additional 500 bears during the new season bring the total of brown bears – a strictly protected species in Europe - to just 2,000 examples.A drastic drop, compared to the 3,300 bears present in Sweden in 2008.Not to mention that in the Nordic country they have already dropped drastically in recent years, also due to culling moose, lynx and wolves.

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Environmentalists are worried:“It's pure trophy hunting“, said Magnus Orrebrant, president of the Swedish Carnivore Association.“Wildlife management in Sweden seems more oriented towards killing animals rather than preserving them.”To be honest, even hunters have doubts about excessive killing.Indeed, Anders Nilsson of Norrland says:“There are hunters worried that too many bears are being killed.If bear hunting continues at its current rate, Sweden could fall below the minimum number of 1,400 individuals deemed necessary to maintain a viable population“.