Sweden has issued licenses to hunters to kill 87 Eurasian lynx between March 1 and Apr. 15.
Conservation organizations say the annual hunts of the medium-sized wildcat violate environmental legislation of the European Union, of which Sweden is a part.
The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is categorized as vulnerable on Sweden’s red list, but the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) allows Swedish counties to set annual quotas for lynx hunting.
The counties say the quotas are meant to protect domestic animals, including sheep and reindeer. According to the hunting-focused magazine Svensk Jakt, by Mar. 3 morning, hunters had shot 33 lynxes, with one county seeing 11 lynxes killed instead of the 10 allocated.
Sweden also allows “protective hunting,” in which lynxes deemed a threat to life or property can be killed. In Jämtland county, 12 lynx were reportedly shot in January to protect reindeer, according to Sweden Herald.
Gunnar Gloersen of the Swedish Hunters’ Association told Svensk Jakt in 2022 that lynx hunt exists in Sweden to limit the damage that lynx cause, in turn increasing acceptability of the animals.
Recently, Sweden authorized a hunt of 30 wolves (Canis lupus) and nearly 500 brown bears (Ursus arctos), also to limit conflict with people and their animals.
Magnus Orrebrant, chair of the Swedish Carnivore Association (SCA), told Mongabay that the hunting quotas are based on targets for lynx populations in different regions. But “the targets are very low and heavily influenced by the hunting lobby,” he said.
Conservation groups, including the SCA, say lynx are strictly protected under the EU Habitats Directive, meaning killing them is prohibited unless there’s “no other satisfactory” alternative.
To stop the lynx hunts, the SCA filed a formal complaint with the EU Commission in March 2024, but it hasn’t progressed yet. “The commission claims they are understaffed,” Orrebrant said.
The lynx was hunted to near-extinction in Sweden, with fewer than 100 individuals remaining by the late 1920s. Conservation efforts, including stopping unregulated hunting and placing the lynx under protection, led to a recovery in lynx populations across the country.
According to the Swedish environmental protection agency, there are an estimated 1,276 lynx in the country now compared to some 1,400 estimated in 2022-23.
The agency says Sweden can maintain a minimum population of 870 lynx “to achieve favourable conservation status.” Some conservationists have called this figure arbitrary, saying it puts a threatened species at risk.
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen), in an open letter to the EU Commission, offered support to the SCA’s complaint and said the licensed hunt occurs during lynx mating season and while cubs are still dependent on their mothers, putting their long-term survival at risk.
Sweden’s environmental agency on Feb. 10 said it has commissioned a study to understand how and when cubs separate from their mothers to evaluate when lynx hunting can be conducted “to minimize the risk of unnecessary suffering.”
This article by Shreya Dasgupta was first published by Mongabay.com on 4 March 2025. Lead Image: Lynx courtesy of Rolf Nyström/Swedensbigfive.org.
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