‘We cannot continue to shoot this many’: Campaigners hit back at Sweden’s controversial bear hunt

Bear defenders say the hunt is more about ‘macho prestige’ than keeping the predators to a safe level.

Around 500 bears are set to be shot in Sweden from tomorrow as the country’s annual licensed hunt begins.

In total, the government has approved the killing of 486 brown bears – 20 per cent of the wild population – between 21 August and 15 October.

Campaigners say this “trophy hunt” is incompatible with the large carnivore’s status as a strictly protected species within the EU.

“There are several ways to better live side by side, with many more than…