Bear hunters challenge demand to surrender or destroy carcasses

Bear hunters in Lieksa, eastern Finland, have rejected a demand that hunters be barred from keeping the carcasses of bears they kill, Yle reported. The environmental organisation Tapiola Karelia has asked the Eastern Finland Administrative Court to revoke all 24 bear-hunting permits issued for Lieksa.

As an alternative, the organisation wants hunters prohibited from possessing bear carcasses or any parts of them. It has also demanded that the carcasses be destroyed or handed over to the state.

Seppo Raassina, executive director of the Lieksa Game Management Association, said using the carcass was an essential part of hunting.

“Hunting is enjoyable in other ways too, but it is not simply about killing an animal,” Raassina said.

Longtime hunting activist Reijo Kortelainen said the demand was incomprehensible.

“By this logic, grouse should also just be shot and not eaten. The whole world will laugh at Finland if this demand succeeds,” Kortelainen said.

Raassina and Kortelainen believe bear hunting will begin in Lieksa next week despite the appeal. Yrjö Eronen, the hunt’s liaison officer, said about 500 hunters were expected to take part.

“The population has grown and there have been so many sightings that finding the animals will not be a problem,” Eronen said.

Court to announce decision on Thursday

The Eastern Finland Administrative Court is due to announce on Thursday whether bear hunting can begin as planned on August 20 in Finland’s eastern and central bear management areas.

The Finnish Wildlife Agency issued special permits in July for the hunting of 182 bears. Most of the permits were issued in North Karelia, which has Finland’s strongest bear population.

Bears have not been hunted outside the reindeer husbandry area since 2023 because the special permits have been appealed each year. Kortelainen said it was time to allow the hunt.

“I know people who no longer dare to go berry-picking because there are so many bears. No one hates bears; this is about controlling the population,” he said.

In June, Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the special permits issued last year for the Joensuu and Eno game management areas were lawful. Raassina said he was therefore confident that the permits would not be revoked.

“I am not worried. The bear hunt will take place this time,” he said.

Tapiola Karelia told Yle that it would not comment in detail on its appeal.