In recent weeks, there has been talk of bears visiting people's home yards. The Environment Agency has issued a permit to hunt two bears because they came to home yards despite being driven back into the forest.
Peep Männil, a wildlife specialist at the Environment Agency, said that bear hunting no longer depends on bear numbers, as is the case with other animals. This is because the European Union's Nature Directive strictly protects bears.
Due to court decisions, bears cannot be hunted extensively. For example, last year only 32 bears were hunted, although the year before, 101 were hunted. This year, not many more can be hunted.
Männil said that the bear population in the wild would stop growing if at least 150 bears are hunted during the season. Last year, it was estimated that there are at least 1,100 bears in Estonia. The population has likely grown this year as well.
The Environment Agency collects data from hunters and analyzes it. They assess bear numbers very carefully, but there may be a slight error.
Marko Vinni, an advisor to the Estonian Hunters' Society, said that the bear population grows every year because bear hunting is restricted. He believes there could be up to 1,500 bears in the wild. This is not an exaggeration, as many bear cubs are born each year.