Estonian court allows bear hunting to begin

TALLINN – The Tallinn Administrative Court revoked the interim injunction issued against the Estonian Environmental Board's July 2 order, which suspended bear hunting pending court proceedings, and thus bear hunting can begin on Thursday.

Leelo Kukk, deputy director general for wildlife at the Environmental Board, said that the lifting of the interim injunction means that bear hunting can now begin from Thursday, Aug. 14.

"I am pleased to see in the court's consideration that the initial bear hunting quota of 71 individuals is justified. Bears are doing very well here, there are more of them than ever before, and according to the Environment Agency, at least a thousand bears live in Estonia. Despite the preventive measures taken so far, bears have continued to damage beehives and break silo bales. Bears are also increasingly entering settlements. Therefore, moderate and targeted hunting is necessary to avoid significant damage and prevent direct conflict between people and bears," Kukk said.

The Tallinn Administrative Court granted interim injunction regarding an order by the Environmental Board, temporarily suspending the bear hunting season that was set to begin on Aug. 1. The Environmental Board objected to the interim injunction. The Administrative Court found that the suspension of bear hunting was not justified and that it could continue under the conditions specified in the order.

The administrative court's ruling can be challenged in the Tallinn Circuit Court.

Kukk has previously said that the growth in the bear population is a success story from the perspective of nature protection, but a balance needs to be found. Under the large carnivore management plan, Estonia must maintain at least 70 bear litters with cubs. According to the Environment Agency's fall 2024 monitoring, there are estimated to be at least 112 such litters.