March 1, 2025 is the starting date for an illegal trophy hunt for lynx in Sweden, a Strictly protected species within the EU. 8 out of 10 Swedes like the lynx, while 3 out of 100 don’t. Guess who gets to decide? The EU Commission has not yet opened an infringement case about this, despite a formal complaint filed almost a year ago.
Europe’s “Environmental Bad Boy”?
“The lynx hunt denies Swedes and citizens of other EU-member states their legal right to expect wildlife diversity and functioning ecosystems, which the EU Habitats Directive was designed to safeguard,” says Magnus Orrebrant, Chairman of the Swedish Carnivore Association. “The lynx is an iconic part of Europe’s natural heritage, since before the Ice age”, he continues. “An important predator, with its Swedish population now in decline, because of too high hunting pressure. Sweden is flagrantly violating EU legislation, and this should be a concern for every EU member. The first ripple effects among other member states are already visible. Why should countries stick to EU law, if Sweden’s government is allowed to do as it pleases?”
Has Sweden become a European bad boy when it comes to non-compliance with EU environmental legislation? In 2022 only, the EU Commission opened up no less than 16 new infringement cases and 161 complaints against Sweden. Their topics ranging from the Water directive, the Waste framework, Emissions reduction trading, Natura 2000, air quality, protection of marine mammals, wolf hunt and firearms legislation. The illegal lynx hunt should be next on that list. A formal complaint to the EU Commission about the lynx hunts was filed by the Swedish Carnivore Association in March 2024. Nothing has happened in Brussels yet regarding that complaint, despite the lynx hunt being a clear violation of the EU Habitats Directive.
Why are lynx hunted at all?
Swedes are not afraid of lynx, and lynx do not pose any danger to humans. Repeated opinion polls have shown that more than 80% of the Swedes support the lynx.
Outside of the reindeer herding areas, lynx are not problematic at a “co-existence” level. They cause extremely little damage for farmers: 89 sheep were killed by lynx in 2023, while 230 000 sheep and lambs were slaugthered for human consumption the same year. Nevertheless, 182 lynx were killed in Sweden during the 2023 hunt.
“Why hunt lynx at all?” asks Magnus Orrebrant. “This hunt exists only to satisfy hunters. A massive majority of Swedes want the magificent lynx to roam free in our nature. Lynx are also beneficial to us humans, since they keep especially the roe deer populations in check and in better health, at the same time as they lower the risk for traffic accidents.”
In 2023 there were 68 301 wildlife traffic accidents in Sweden, of which 48 843 involved roe deer, the lynx’ favourite prey.
Orrebrant continues “In many European countries, lynx are seen as valuable and important natural assets. Lots of work and funds have been put into reintroducing lynx and to help re-establish local lynx populations. In Spain, the EU and the Spanish government have together invested over 130 million euro over 20 years, into bringing back the Iberian lynx. In contrast, Sweden instead works hard to lower its lynx numbers as far down as possible, illegally, but without getting fined by the EU for it, yet…”
“When is the EU Commission going to stand up and actually enforce the laws designed to protect wildlife and biodiversity in the EU?” ends Magnus Orrebrant.
Lynx hunt for fun and to limit competition
Hunters’ organisations want to maximize hunting opportunities for their members and to minimize competition for prey. There are also hunters who find pleasure in killing a predator like a lynx, to turn the iconic animal into a trophy on their living room wall.
During lynx hunts, gun dogs are often used, aiming to chase the big cat up a tree. The hunter can then take his, or her, time to aim and shoot the cat hiding among the branches. Let this be clear, outside the reindeer herding areas, lynx hunting is done only to accomodate the hunters’ wishes.
Lynx already at minimum levels and genetically vulnerable
87 lynx are licensed to be killed during 2025 (out of a population of less than 1,300 lynx in 2024). On top of the licenced hunt comes the so-called “protective hunt” which aims to solve possible issues with eventual problem individuals. This adds a couple of dozen lynx killed per year. The licenced hunting quota for 2025, is slightly lower than in 2024, due to non-sustainably high hunting quotas over the previous years.
The Swedish lynx population, clearly separated from the lynx in Finland, is less genetically diverse and more vulnerable to hunting pressure. The lynx is classified as “Vulnerable” in the Red List of Swedish Species (ArtDatabanken, SLU, Uppsala, 2020 ). Nevertheless, the Swedish licensed hunt for lynx continues, year after year.
Links
- Lynx hunt reported to the EU
- Lynx facts
- Europe’s Environmental Bad Boy
- Swedes like their large carnivores
- Living side by side (Sweden’s Big Five, 2024)
- Sweden hesitates to protect lynx against hunting (M. Apelblat, The Brussels Times, 12 Oct 2023)
- Return of the missing lynx (Rewilding Europe, 2024)
- Nature and biodiversity, The Habitats Directive - Large carnivores (EU Comission, 2024)
- Distribution maps for Brown bear, Eurasian lynx, Grey wolf, and Wolverine
- Final report – The Lynx project (Henrik Andrén & Olof Liberg, Grimsö research station, Department of Ecology, SLU, 2008, Swedish)
- The hunting of lynx is economically indefensible, Altinget, 12 March 2024 (Swedish)
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