Stop The Senseless Slaughter Of Bears, Wolves And Lynx
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Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site
Europe’s predators face extinction as brutal hunts slaughter thousands. Take action now to stop the mass killing of bears, wolves, and lynx before it’s too late.
Across Europe, thousands of bears, wolves, and lynx are facing brutal hunts, putting their fragile populations at risk of extinction. These hunts target predators that were once nearly wiped out but have made a slow recovery through decades of conservation efforts. Now, under pressure from political agendas, rural voters, and powerful hunting lobbies, governments in countries like Sweden, Romania, and Slovakia are sanctioning hunts that could undo years of progress.
Sweden alone has issued permits to kill 486 brown bears this year—20% of the country’s bear population. These numbers follow record culls of wolves and lynx in recent years, raising alarm among conservationists who argue that the scale of the hunts could destabilize predator populations that have just recovered from near extinction1. Already, 152 bears have been killed within the first two days of the hunt2. Experts warn that these aggressive hunts threaten the survival of the entire Scandinavian predator ecosystem.
Romania, home to Europe’s largest brown bear population, has doubled its bear hunting quota from 220 to 481 this year3. Fear and anger over recent bear attacks have driven the Romanian parliament to approve more hunting, despite pushback from environmental groups. Similar moves are happening in Slovakia, where a bear recently rampaged through a town, prompting lawmakers to allow hunting near villages under specific conditions3. Wolves and lynx are also being targeted in widespread culls across these countries, further jeopardizing Europe’s predator populations.
The Cost of Ignoring Conservation
These hunts aren't just about predator control—they are driven by political and economic interests. As predator populations recover, they inevitably clash with rural communities and farmers, who argue that these animals threaten livestock and human safety. Politicians have capitalized on these fears, pushing for more lenient hunting laws. In fact, the European Commission has come under pressure to downgrade protections for wolves after its president’s pony was killed by a wolf4.
But conservationists and scientists have repeatedly warned that culling predators is not a sustainable solution. Removing large numbers of predators from an ecosystem disrupts the balance between prey and predator, often leading to a rise in herbivore populations, which can damage vegetation and spread disease5. These predators play a critical role in maintaining the health of ecosystems, and their removal could have disastrous long-term effects. Killing too many predators also destabilizes social structures within packs and groups, making it harder for them to hunt natural prey and increasing the likelihood that they will target livestock6.
The Time to Act Is Now
Governments across Europe are making decisions based on fear, economic interests, and political pressures rather than science and conservation. These policies, if left unchecked, will push Europe’s most iconic predators—bears, wolves, and lynx—back to the brink of extinction.
It’s not too late to reverse this trend. With enough public pressure, we can stop these brutal hunts and protect Europe’s fragile predator populations. But the time to act is now. We need your voice to demand an end to these unnecessary killings.
Sign the petition today to stop the slaughter of Europe’s critical predators and protect the future of wildlife.
- Issy Ronald, CNN (21 August 2024), "Sweden’s Brown Bear Hunt Threatens Predator Population."
- Beata Furstenberg, The Guardian (23 August 2024), "Romania's Bear Hunt Doubles as Lawmakers Fear Attacks."
- Ajit Niranjan, Mother Jones (2024), "Romania's Bear Hunt Doubles as Lawmakers Fear Attacks."
- Ajit Niranjan, The Guardian (12 September 2024), "Europe Saved Its Predators from Extinction. Why Is It Killing Them?"
- Talker News (15 August 2024), "Scientists Say Wolves, Bears, and Lynxes Must Be Reintroduced to Europe."
- L. Mark Elbroch and Adrian Treves, Science Direct (July 2023), "The Backfire Effect of Predator Culling."
The Petition:
To the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Prime Minister of Sweden, the President of Romania, and the President of Slovakia,
We, the undersigned, call for an immediate end to the sanctioned hunts that target critical predator species such as bears, wolves, and lynx in Europe. These hunts, which have escalated in countries like Sweden, Romania, and Slovakia, threaten the survival of predator populations that have only recently recovered after decades of conservation efforts.
While traditional hunting practices have deep cultural roots, they must not come at the cost of the biodiversity and environmental health that these predators help maintain. Bears, wolves, and lynx play a crucial role in regulating prey populations and maintaining balanced ecosystems. Their removal from the natural landscape disrupts this balance and, over time, damages the very environments that support human livelihoods and wildlife alike.
The aggressive hunting quotas—targeting hundreds of animals annually—are not only a moral failing but also a violation of the EU’s commitment to conservation under the Habitats Directive. As recent studies and protests have shown, indiscriminate culling is not an effective solution to human-wildlife conflict. Rather, it destabilizes predator populations and creates more challenges for coexistence.
We urge you to:
- Enforce and strengthen the protections outlined in the EU’s Habitats Directive to safeguard Europe’s critical predator species.
- Suspend and reduce current hunting quotas in Sweden, Romania, Slovakia, and other countries until humane, non-lethal methods for managing predator populations are prioritized.
- Promote coexistence strategies, such as electric fences, public awareness campaigns, and predator deterrents, to prevent conflicts with humans and livestock without resorting to lethal measures.
By ending these brutal hunts, Europe can set a global example of balancing tradition with conservation and humanity. Together, we can protect these vital predators and ensure a future where wildlife and human communities thrive side by side.
Sincerely,
