Can’t trap bears in central Norway
A total of seven bears can be felled under license in parts of the interior, but the Norwegian Environment Agency does not permit felling in regions with low bear populations.
This means that it is not possible to license felling of bears in Central Norway, Nordland and Troms and Finnmark, where the population is below the Storting’s population target.
– Licensing is a measure to regulate the stock. The population in these areas is still far below the Storting’s population target, and after an overall assessment we find no basis for allowing license felling of bears in these regions, says director Ellen Hambro in the Norwegian Environment Agency.
In regions where the stock is above the stock target, it is the regional predatory game boards that set the quota. They are the ones who have decided that seven bears will be killed in two game regions in the interior.
A total of eight bears have been felled in Norway so far this year, four when felling damage and four when emergency guardians were called in.
The Storting has set a target of 13 bear cubs each year, distributed among the game regions of Hedmark, Midt-Norway, Nordland and Troms and Finnmark. Of these four regions, only Hedmark is above the population target.
The license cancellation period for bears lasts from 21 August to 15 October.