Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The fearsome-looking brown bear's favourite food is…blueberries!
Wildlife
Thanks to Sweden's geographical diversity, it has a great variety of European animals,
birds and plants. And its relatively sparse population means you're likely to see some in
the wild.
Sweden's big carnivores - the bear, wolf, wolverine, lynx and golden eagle - are all pro-
tected species. Wolf hunting was banned in the 1970s, after the wolf population had been
nearly to extinction, but in 2010 the Swedish parliament authorised a cull to bring the
newly resurgent species' numbers back down. Most of the country's wolf population is in
Dalarna and Värmland.
The
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
has detailed information on Sweden's
policies regarding endangered animals.
The wolverine, a larger cousin of the weasel, inhabits high forests and alpine areas
along the Norwegian border. There are an estimated 680 in Sweden, mostly in Norrbotten
and Västerbotten.
Brown bears were persecuted for centuries, but recent conservation measures have seen
numbers increase to about 3200. Bears mostly live in forests in the northern half of the
country but are spreading south.
Another fascinating forest dweller is the lynx, which belongs to the panther family and
is Europe's only large cat. Sweden's 1200 to 1500 lynx are notoriously difficult to spot be-
cause of their nocturnal habits.
Not all of Sweden's wild creatures are predatory, of course. The iconic elk (moose in the
USA) is a gentle, knobby-kneed creature that grows up to 2m tall. Though they won't try
to eat you, elk are a serious traffic hazard, particularly at night: they can dart out in front of
your car at up to 50km/h.
Around 260,000 domesticated reindeer roam the northern areas under the watchful eyes
of Sami herders. Like elk, reindeer can be a major traffic hazard.
Lemmings are famous for their extraordinary reproductive capacity. Every 10 years or
so the population explodes, resulting in denuded landscapes and thousands of dead lem-
mings in rivers and lakes and on roads.
