The Estonian Hunters' Society (Eesti Jahimeeste Selts – EJS) has published a detailed explanation of large carnivore management and the problems that arise when bears gradually lose their natural fear of humans.

In the article "Let's talk about bears. Again and still", the Estonian hunters stress that the brown bear is one of Estonia's natural symbols, but that any large carnivore population needs balance.

"A wild animal must fear humans, because it is precisely this fear that prevents the majority of conflicts," EJS writes.

Estonia's bear population has grown substantially in recent years. At the same time, bears are increasingly being reported near settlements, apiaries, farms, roads and rural homes. Bears damage beehives, attack livestock and are ever more frequently coming close to people.

Hunters stress that the problem is not the bear itself, but situations in which the animal gradually becomes accustomed to human presence and no longer regards people as a threat.

When the fear of humans disappears

The article particularly stresses that some members of the public try to ridicule or criticise the notion of "fear of humans", yet in reality this very instinct is one of the main mechanisms preventing conflicts between people and large carnivores.

If a predator loses its wariness:

• it begins to seek food near people,
• it grows used to human scents and presence,
• it becomes ever bolder,
• and the risk of dangerous situations increases.

Estonian hunters point out that such situations have already been observed in many parts of the world – bears regularly visit rubbish dumps, enter towns and in some cases turn aggressive.

"A simple principle operates in nature — a wild animal avoids danger. For centuries humans have been a threat to large carnivores, and that has shaped the animals' natural wariness," EJS writes.

Hunting as a management tool

The article stresses that the aim of hunting is not to wipe out large carnivores, but to maintain the population at a level where natural wariness of humans is preserved and conflicts are rare.

"Responsible hunting does not mean being against nature. It means preserving the balance of nature," the Estonian hunters stress.

EJS also draws attention to the realities of rural life. For beekeepers, livestock farmers and people living in isolated farmsteads, the bear is not an abstract "symbol of nature" but a very real and powerful animal that can destroy bee colonies or injure livestock in the course of a single night.

A pressing question for Latvia too

Discussions about the behaviour of large carnivores are becoming pressing in Latvia as well. The bear population in the Baltics continues to grow, and sightings near homes, roads and inhabited areas are being reported ever more often.

Over the past month, several fatal incidents involving bears have already been recorded in Europe – in Romania, Poland and Bulgaria. This increasingly raises the question not of whether bears are needed in Europe, but of how to ensure safe coexistence between people and large carnivores.