Young bears repeatedly entering yards in Ida-Viru County tranquilized and returned to forest
Two young bears that kept entering yards in Ida-Viru County, Estonia were tranquilized on Tuesday and taken back to the forest, after earlier being relocated from Tartu County without success.
Estonia's Environmental Board tranquilized two young bears on Tuesday evening in Kuningaküla, Alutaguse municipality, after the animals repeatedly entered residents' yards. The bears, born earlier this year, were once again taken back to the forest, continuing a pattern of removal attempts that had already failed several times.
The bears first appeared in a populated area in late July in Tartu County, according to Tanel Türna, head of the Environmental Board's hunting and aquatic life department. Together with the Rescue Board, the animals had already been returned to the forest four times, including a relocation all the way from Tartu County to Ida-Viru County in hopes that the larger forests there would provide sufficient habitat and food. Despite this, the bears made their way back to populated areas.
The litter originally consisted of four cubs, but only two are now still found near people searching for food. All four were ear-tagged during earlier captures, allowing officials to confirm they are the same animals. In Kuningaküla, the bears ran into a sawmill warehouse; locals closed the door, and with a veterinarian's help, officials were able to tranquilize the 25-kilogram animals in the confined space before removing them.
On August 7, the Environmental Board issued special permits allowing the two bears to be hunted, since they kept returning despite repeated efforts to chase them away. However, the Estonian Hunters' Society told Maaleht it would not use the permit, saying the decision conflicted with its ethical stance and reflected a general position among Estonian hunters.
Feeding creates danger
The Environmental Board said the bears' behavior indicates they have been fed by people, causing them to lose their natural fear of humans. Türna said bears this age should avoid people and forage independently rather than repeatedly returning to populated areas. He urged people not to feed wild animals, noting this disrupts their natural behavior and ability to survive on their own, and warned that small bears today will be large next year and could pose serious danger if they continue seeking human proximity.
The agency asks people to report bear or other large predator sightings in populated areas via the state information line 1247, and to call the emergency number 112 if an animal poses an immediate threat. Estonia's Climate Ministry changed hunting rules in April, so bears may now only be hunted with a special permit from the Environmental Board. Nationwide, 13 such permits have been issued, and as of August 19, two bears have been hunted under them — one in Harju County and one in Põlva County.
