Bear hunting resumes in Finland after two-year halt

Bear hunting has resumed in eastern and central Finland and Kainuu after a two-year suspension, Yle reports. A total of 182 bears may be killed under exceptional permits issued because of damage or threats to public safety.

The hunting season began overnight and will continue until the end of October. For the past two years, bears could be hunted only in the reindeer herding area because appeals had challenged the legality of permits issued elsewhere.

In June, Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled that 15 exceptional permits issued in North Karelia last year were lawful. The decision allowed bear hunting to resume in cases where bears cause damage or threaten human safety.

North Karelia has received the largest number of permits, with 118. Hunters may also kill 24 bears in southeastern Finland, 14 in Southern Savonia, nine in Kainuu, nine in Central Finland and eight in Northern Savonia. Bear hunting is prohibited in the swine fever infection zone in southeastern Finland.

The hunt is focused on areas close to homes. In Lieksa, hunting leader Yrjö Eronen said teams would not hunt in wilderness areas, even where bears are present, because the problems have occurred near settlements.

“The population has clearly grown. Finding prey will not be a problem,” Eronen said.

Sauli Härkönen, head of public administration duties at the Finnish Wildlife Agency, said hunters should primarily target bears that have caused harm to people. Eronen said this was difficult in practice because there was no way to identify whether an individual bear had visited a yard. He said limiting the hunting area was the most effective tool.

Härkönen noted that the season runs until the end of October and urged hunters to assess each situation individually before killing a bear.