Registered mortality of large carnivores

The hunting year

One hunting year runs from 1 April to 31 March the following year.

Large predators

Large predators include bears, wolves, wolverines and lynx.

Large birds of prey

Large birds of prey include white-tailed eagles, goshawks and golden eagles.

Licensed hunting

The authorities grant a licence to shoot large carnivores in cases where it is necessary to reduce the growth of a carnivore stock to avoid them causing damage and prevent the loss of livestock.

Quota hunting

Quota hunting of lynx takes place in February and March. The County Governor determines the hunting quota hunting of lynx. Anyone who meets the requirements can hunt lynx in areas where quota hunting is in effect.

Shot as nuisance

The authorities grant permits to shoot single animals in order to prevent large carnivores killing or causing damage to livestock or domesticated reindeer.

Animals felled as self-defence

Animals that are killed to remove a current and significant risk of injury to a person or when there is an emergency situation due to an ongoing or imminent attack on livestock.

Classification of registered non-harvest mortality of cervids and large carnivores

Name: Registered mortality of large carnivores

Topic: Agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing

Division for Housing, Property, Spatial and Agricultural Statistics

County and administration area

The statistics are published annually, 10-12 weeks after the hunting year has ended

Collected and revised data are stored securely by Statistics Norway in compliance with applicable legislation on data processing.

Statistics Norway can grant access to the source data (de-identified or anonymised microdata) on which the statistics are based, for researchers and public authorities for the purposes of preparing statistical results and analyses. Access can be granted upon application and subject to conditions. Refer to the details about this at Access to data from Statistics Norway.

The purpose of the statistics is to provide information on the reduction of large predators and eagles. The act relating to the extermination of predators and protection of other wild game was passed in 1845 and introduced official premium payments for certain species. The persons responsible for making the payments in the individual municipalities submitted reports containing statistics on the predators and nuisance animals for which premiums had been paid. As a rule, this was the local police or chief municipal treasurer. Much has changed since the act was passed in 1845. Today, bears, wolves, wolverines and eagles are protected, and lynx hunting is regulated by quota.

The statistics are compiled for The Norwegian Environment Agency and serve as an important tool in the local and national management of large predators and eagles. Public agencies (ministries, counties, municipalities) and research institutes use the statistics. Other major user groups include professional publications, hunters and animal protection groups.

No external users have access to statistics before they are released at 8 a.m. on ssb.no after at least three months’ advance notice in the release calendar. This is one of the most important principles in Statistics Norway for ensuring the equal treatment of users.

Statistics on Non-harvest mortality of cervids are published annually.

The statistics are developed, produced and disseminated pursuant to Act no. 32 of 21 June 2019 relating to official statistics and Statistics Norway (the Statistics Act).

The statistics cover killed and destroyed game reported to municipal wildlife management departments.

The Norwegian Environment Agency and municipal wildlife management departments.

All municipalities and counties.

The statistics are based on reports of reductions of large predators from the Norwegian Environment Agency, and reports of large birds of prey from municipal wildlife management departments.

Regular controls and revisions are carried out on the incoming material. The forms are checked for absolute and possible errors, and errors are corrected during the revision of the forms. Where necessary, the municipal authorities are contacted to clarify cases of doubt.

The number of killed animals is summarised and distributed by municipality.

Employees of Statistics Norway have a duty of confidentiality.

Statistics Norway does not publish figures if there is a risk of the respondent’s contribution being identified. This means that, as a general rule, figures are not published if fewer than three units form the basis of a cell in a table or if the contribution of one or two respondents constitutes a very large part of the cell total.

Statistics Norway can make exceptions to the general rule if deemed necessary to meet the requirements of the EEA agreement, if the respondent is a public authority, if the respondent has consented to this, or when the information disclosed is openly accessible to the public.

More information can be found on Statistics Norway’s website under Methods in official statistics, in the ‘Confidentiality’ section.

Breaks in the time series have not occurred since the statistics were started in 1846.

As bears, wolves, wolverines and eagles are protected and lynx hunting is regulated by quota, reductions are easy to check. Although these factors mean reliable reporting, unreported reductions can occur. It can be difficult to determine the sex and age of animals that have been dead for a long time before they are found. In such cases the municipal wildlife management department must use its judgement. In general, all reductions should be reported, but for various reasons this is not always done. The data for birds of prey can be viewed as minimum figures.

Reporting to Statistics Norway is compulsory for all municipalities. Statistics Norway and the county management contact all municipalities that have not forwarded the reports within the time limit. In that way all municipalities are covered.