Estonia's bear population climbs as court rulings restrict hunting
Estonia's Hunters' Society estimates the wild bear population may have reached around 1,500 as court decisions increasingly limit traditional hunting. The Environment Agency warns the growth will continue without sufficient culling.
The bear population in Estonia's forests has been growing steadily in recent years, with the Estonian Hunters' Society now estimating the number could be as high as 1,500 animals. The main driver, according to officials, is a series of court rulings that have made traditional bear hunting increasingly difficult to carry out.
In recent weeks, multiple incidents of bears wandering into residential yards have been reported and filmed. The Environmental Board issued a special permit to hunt two bears born last year after the animals repeatedly returned to people's yards despite being scared off.
Peep Männil, chief wildlife specialist at the Environment Agency, explained that hunting quotas are normally tied to population size, but that principle no longer applies to bears. A recent court ruling found that bear hunting conflicts with the EU Habitats Directive, since the species is strictly protected across the bloc with no exceptions granted to any member state.
Hunting numbers drop sharply
In 2024, 101 bears were hunted in Estonia — the highest recorded figure — but new court-imposed restrictions took effect early in the following season. Only around 32 bears were hunted last year, and this year's total is expected to be similar or even lower. Männil noted that at least 150 bears would need to be hunted per season to stop population growth.
Court disputes have centered on whether the Environmental Board adequately justified hunting permits and whether alternative preventive measures were tried before resorting to shooting bears.
The Environment Agency estimated at least 1,100 bears lived in Estonia's wild last year; this year's figures are not yet available but are expected to be higher. Männil said that with hunting kept modest, the population has grown roughly 5 percent annually over the past decade.
Marko Vinni, hunting adviser at the Estonian Hunters' Society, said the group's estimate of 1,500 bears is not exaggerated, pointing to roughly 300 cubs born each year and minimal hunting over the past two seasons as the basis for the calculation, even after accounting for natural mortality.
