After nearly two weeks of bear hunting, 426 bears have been shot in the country so far, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's website rovbase. A total of 486 bears are allowed to be shot during this year's hunt in seven of the country's northernmost counties.
In several counties, or in certain areas of the counties, the hunt has already been cancelled. This applies, for example, to the entire county of Gävleborg, where 127 bears have been shot (two more than the allocation), Värmland, where three bears have been shot, and Västernorrland County, where 80 of the 85 allocated bears have been shot, writes Svensk Jakt.
Despite the number of bears to be shot this year being lower than in recent years, the hunt has received significant attention abroad. Long articles have been published in, among others, The Guardian, BBC, The Times and ABC News about how Sweden chooses to shoot 20 percent of its bear population.
The hunt will continue until October 15 at the latest.
