The Administrative Court has suspended (inhibited) licensed hunting of 153 lynx in all 14 counties in the administrative areas pending legal review. Inhibition is a temporary suspension so that the Administrative Court can make a final decision on the case.
Following rapid appeals, the Administrative Court has now temporarily halted hunting in all counties. The matter has not yet been decided. Licensed hunting of lynx was suspended, i.e. stopped, first by the Administrative Court pending legal review by the Court of Appeal in 10 counties in the central and southern administrative areas. Following an appeal by the Swedish Predator Association, hunting in Jämtland, Västerbotten, Västernorrland and Gävleborg has now also been stopped. As lynx hunting often happens very quickly, it is important that the hunt does not start until it has been properly reviewed by the courts, otherwise the damage may already have been done. However, 27 of the 47 lynxes allocated in the north have already been killed during the first two days of hunting, as well as 16 lynxes in Gävleborg before the hunt stopped.
This is an important partial victory for the lynx and for the rule of law. We now hope that the court will go all the way and stop the hunt, which is against the law.
The Svenska Rovdjursföreningen and Swedish Society for Nature Conservation argues in support of its claim, among other things, that the hunt is scheduled to begin on Sunday, 1 March 2026. If the lynx are killed before the case has been finally decided, it will lead to irreversible damage to an already vulnerable species. New research suggests that the population needs to be much larger in order to avoid the risk of extinction and genetic depletion in the long term. Neither the county administrative board nor the administrative court has taken this research into account.
Presscontact Svenska Rovdjursföreningen, Swedish Carnivore Assosiation, Kjell.backlund@rovdjur.se
Photo Staffan Widstrand