Bear hunting in Estonia now requires special permit
Estonia has introduced new hunting rules requiring a special permit from the Environmental Board to cull bears, a change that hunters say effectively cancels this year's annual bear hunt. Only three such permits have been issued so far, despite scientists recommending a cull of up to 150 bears.
Estonia's new hunting regulations, in effect since April, allow bears to be culled only with a special permit from the Environmental Board if they are considered problem animals. So far, the board has issued three permits for bears blamed for destroying beehives in Harju County and along the border of Tartu and Põlva counties.
Tanel Türna, head of the Environmental Board's hunting and aquatic life department, said there have been roughly 25 to 30 attacks in those areas. Preventive measures ranged from individual hives located near homes to groups of hives protected by five-strand electric fences.
Hunters argue that a traditional bear hunt to manage the population is no longer possible this year. The Estonian Environment Agency recommended that up to 150 bears be culled, but according to Tõnis Korts, head of the Estonian Hunters' Society, the number of permits issued and the time and resources required for each make it impossible to meet the scientists' target.
Both hunters and the Environmental Board note that food supply and suitable habitats are limited. With the bear population currently high, they believe there is no longer enough space for all animals in the forests, raising the likelihood of more human-bear encounters.
Eleri Lopp, head of the NGO Estonia's Large Predators, which has successfully challenged bear hunting in court, disagrees. She says such claims are populist and demagogic, as the actual number of bears is unknown. The Supreme Court has ruled that the state was breaking the law in the case of wolves because monitoring was inadequate. Lopp insists on relying on facts.
This year, the Environmental Board has dealt with seven bears that entered people's yards. Türna explained that the first group consisted of very young cubs, while the second group comprised 1.5-year-old bears. While not clearly problem bears in the usual sense, they pose a serious problem. The bears had apparently been fed by people and lost their fear of humans. The younger bears were returned to the wild, but the board is considering issuing a permit for bears that killed chickens in a farmyard.
According to the 2025 wildlife monitoring report, Estonia is home to at least 1,000 bears, and the population has doubled over the past 20 years.
