Facts about the Swedish Brown Bear
The so-called confidence interval for the number of bears in Sweden is approximately 2,771–2,980, although there is some uncertainty in this population estimate.
In 2017, just under 300 bears were shot during protective and licensed hunting, which corresponds to about 10 percent of the population that year.
Dung (scat) inventories form the basis for the population estimates carried out in each county, together with trends in bear observations reported by hunters. In this work, hunters play an important role in achieving a balanced and reliable result.
The genetic status of the bear population
The Scandinavian bear population shows a relatively high level of genetic variation. Genetic exchange occurs both between reproductive areas within the country and between the Swedish and Norwegian bear populations.
Dispersing males are mainly responsible for driving genetic variation. When looking at the DNA that is passed from females to their cubs (mitochondrial DNA), there are two genetic lineages in Sweden: a southern and an eastern one. The geographical boundary between these two lineages runs from the Storsjöbäcken area in central Jämtland in the west to northern Gävleborg County in the east. Because this DNA does not mix and is inherited solely from the mother, it can be used to study geographical origin. This shows that Swedish bears have immigrated from two different source populations, most likely in connection with the last Ice Age.
The southern lineage is most closely related to bears from the Pyrenees in France, as well as bears from Spain and the Cantabrian Mountains. The eastern lineage is most closely related to bears from Russia and Finland. These genetic differences are not as evident when only nuclear DNA is considered. The bear population is therefore managed as a single population.
Distribution range
The bear is commonly found in Sweden from Dalarna and Gävleborg counties and northwards. The majority of the Scandinavian population consists of the Swedish bear population, with only a small number of reproductions—that is, females giving birth to cubs—occurring in areas adjacent to Norway.
The distribution in Scandinavia has been concentrated in four core areas, where females are mainly found:
- one southern area – Härjedalen (southern Jämtland County), Dalarna, and Gävleborg
- one central area – northern Jämtland, Västernorrland County, and Västerbotten County
- two northern areas – Norrbotten County
(Facts sourced from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency – Naturvårdsverket)
Contact and bookings
For contact and bookings of bear safaris and bear hides, please email or call us:
Phone: +46 738 438 556
There is much more interesting information to share about our Swedish bears. For example, did you know that the mother bear gives birth to her cubs in the den during midwinter, in February, and that the cubs then weigh just over 400 grams—about the weight of a pack of butter or margarine? From that size, a bear can hypothetically grow to full size in about five years, although genetic inheritance and food availability naturally determine the final outcome.
The largest bears in Sweden can reach a weight of 300 kg (660 lbs) or more. Fully grown females weigh around 200 kg (440 lbs). The mating season occurs in May and tapers off by mid-June. Uniquely, cubs born to the same female in a single litter may have different fathers, something that also occurs in animals such as cats.
The type of den used by bears can vary between branch or log dens (common in forested regions), dens excavated from abandoned (old, overgrown) anthills, rock dens, shelters prepared under stones or in small rock crevices or cave openings (most common in mountainous areas), and finally basket dens—a type of den constructed from branches laid directly on the ground and covered with softer material such as moss. These are often located under protective trees but can also be found in more exposed locations in forests with a sparser canopy.