Bear Attack Sweden - European Browns

My brother-in-law in Sweden drew my attention today to an attack by a bear on a man in Jamtland just this week. The attack happened just outside Gaddede, I'll be passing through there in July. It's a reminder to me that there are bears in the forests on Northern Scandinavia and whilst encounters are rare, they can be fatal even in Europe.

I've found this article from Aftonbladet that explains a little more. Apparently there has been quite a bit of bear activity in Jamtland in recent years. Unsurprisingly the bears hunt the large flocks of Reindeer. Two men set out to hunt the bear and the bear attacked, a defensive reaction that's understandable. From looking at the 'net it seems most attacks in Sweden arise from a hunting situation.

On my last trip to northern Canada walking through Grizzly bear rich Kluane, in the Yukon Territory, saw me having to deal with both the practicalities of and the worry of walking in bear country. An encounter with a large Grizzly was a real possibility and I received plenty of advice as to what to do. I had to make noise, I had to cook and store food well away from my tent and I had to constantly observe signs of Grizzly activity. A large can of pepper spray was always within reach. It certainly added an interesting element to the trip and I discovered a lot about bears before departure. A really interesting and helpful book was by the Canadian expert Stephen Herrero, Bear Attacks Their Causes and Avoidance. It was reassuring as it provided with with a strategy to deal with a backpack through the very remote Yukon landscape. I had no encounter but saw plenty of signs of Grizzly activity (such as these footprints at 'Cache Lake' for example). I was interested to learn it's when bears rub up against humans and human food that the greatest problems arise. Bears become 'habituated' and actively seek people out to get to their food sources. Kluane is so remote and so infrequently visited that this was less of an issue. There always remained the prospect of surprising a bear and I was advised to remain constantly vigilant.

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Bears can be an issue in Scandinavia though less so than North America. The European 'Brown' is a smaller and shyer creature. There are bear attacks in Sweden though and every year a number of people are subject to an 'encounter' in northern Sweden. Occasionally it is fatal. As I learnt in Canada though, if a bear attacks a human the ultimate consequences for the local bear population can be far worse. With the rising population of bears in Sweden over the last years, the number of shot bears has risen proportionally. It is especially the reindeer herders of Norrbotten who have had problems with the increasing amount of brown bears and losses in their herds due to killer bears has become a major problem.

Myself, I have a lot of respect for bears and sympathy. I think I will pay a little more attention in the forests of Jamtland and keep camp in good order. No bear spray hanging from my belt though as in Kluane, I'll miss it's heavy assurance.

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