A record number of bears will be shot in this year’s bear hunt, which starts on Monday.
And this year, the hunt is expected to be both faster and more efficient, as hunting dogs are allowed for the first time to track bears that have been lured with food, so-called bait, reports Sweden’s Radio Ekot.
649 of Sweden’s approximately 2,900 bears are to be shot in seven different counties, from Värmland to Norrland during the bear hunt that runs from August 21 to October 15.
New for this year, therefore, is that dogs are allowed to track bears from culverts, something that was previously prohibited. The execution must be notified to the County Administrative Board in advance, and this year the number of executions has nearly tripled compared to last year, to 1,000.
The purpose of the bear hunt is, among other things, to reduce bear attacks on reindeer and sheep.