Hunting is the biggest threat to the most peaceful of all bears — the Scandinavian brown bear, and now the bear is officially near to extinction. Despite this, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has just authorised seven Swedish county administrative boards to grant licences for the hunting of 284 brown bears!

Bears will be lured to feeding places, then cruelly executed. Semi-automatic weapons are permitted and specialised pack dogs are used against the non-violent bears who are extremely sensitive to stress and overheating. The hunt is promoted openly as trophy and commercial hunting, even with guidance provided on how to obtain exemption from CITES regulations (restrictions on hunting endangered animals).

The Hunting Critics Association in Sweden (Jaktkritikerna) has started a petition on Care2 to call for a ban on all bear hunting. They say, “demonising our predators is demoralising for all of us who defend the planet’s fauna, and it is a crime against animals and nature. We must build pathways of compassion and coexistence before it’s too late, and not continue to damage the earth’s ecosystems by killing its top predators”.

Jaktkritikerna are asking for your support. Will you sign their petition?

Thank you,

Beth G. The Care2 Petitions Team

P.S. These licenced hunts attract hunters from all over the world who want the ‘trophy’ of a dead bear to hang on their wall. This has nothing to do with environmental protection. The hunts must be stopped.