– The mission was probably to shoot a bear that was a little bigger. That a bear cub was killed was probably not quite according to plan, in that sense, says Magne Asheim, senior adviser at the Norwegian Environmental Protection Agency (SNO). It was Wednesday 1 June that the bear cub was shot on Jarfjordfjellet in Sør-Varanger. As the bear cub was out walking alone, it was considered a slightly larger bear by the hunters from SNO in the helicopter. The Norwegian Environment Agency had given a felling permit for a solitary bear when reindeer had been hunted in a calving area. The bear cub was shot on Jarfjordfjellet on Wednesday. Sør-Varanger in the Far East in Finnmark is among the areas in Norway with the densest population of bears, according to predator data. – It is precisely at this time when the reindeer calves. A damage cut was given, and then the snow was melted and then it became necessary to use a helicopter, and then it is SNO that gets the assignment. Asheim says it is not uncommon for bears to be killed in Norway as a result of major damage to sheep or reindeer. This is the fifth bear that has been shot in the area in the last four years. The bear cub did not pose damage Asheim says that the bear cub that is currently shot did not pose any danger to the reindeer herd on its own. – It will probably be more until the next calving, next May, but I do not think such a small bear does anything. It does not hunt on its own. Even though it went alone now, I do not think it has the ability to take reindeer calves. After the bear cub was shot, the reindeer owners reported that the herd calmed down. This is also because the calving is soon over, according to SNO. – It is only during the calving season that the simla and the calf are so vulnerable that the bear gets hold of them. Most likely, no more injuries will occur until next year again. news has been in contact with the reindeer owner, but he does not want to comment on the matter. NOAH reacts But the animal protection organization NOAH is strongly critical of the fact that a felling permit was issued for bears at all, in addition to incorrect shooting. – It shows that this is a system with a lot of uncertainties where you have no control at all over what you do, says Siri Martinsen, who is the leader of NOAH. Siri Martinsen in NOAH is critical of the fact that a felling permit was granted. Photo: Alexander Nordby / news She says that fewer bear cubs are born than the authorities give permission to kill. – The bears are struggling to have young, and lack available space that they can be on. The NOAH leader says that people to a greater extent have to adapt their activity around the presence of wild animals, or nature and the wild animals disappear. – Giving permission to shoot animals during the breeding season while they have vulnerable young is completely unacceptable. I do not really understand that it was given at all. news has been in contact with the Norwegian Environment Agency about the felling permit that was granted, and will enter their response in the case when it comes. Only remains of a reindeer calf found – The reindeer owners have not found more than one, but it is suspected that the bears have taken more than one calf, says Asheim. Magne Asheim, senior adviser at SNO, says that it was the bear mother they were looking to kill, not the bear cub. Photo: Eilif Aslaksen / news According to him, the bear family was tried to be pushed out of the grazing area several times with a snowmobile before a felling permit was granted. In addition to the bear family, 5 other bears have been observed in the area. Two of the bears are lonely. Unusual number of bears in the area – There have been bears here every year in recent years, but never so many. It is a new record. In addition to the seven bears belonging to the area, traces of a much larger bear have been found. Asheim suspects that this is the father of the bear cub that was shot. – If it’s the bear cub we think it has a mother and a sister. – Why was the bear not moved? – The environmental directorate does not really do that in such cases. There was talk of taking out one of the bears that is doing damage. Moving bears is more problematic, Asheim answers. He explains that the bears know where they live and often find their way back to the area they come from when they move. – A more permanent problem solution is to shoot one of the bears that does damage.
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– Not quite according to plan – news Troms and Finnmark
