Update from our brown bear conservation expedition in Dalarna, Sweden
This outstanding team managed to check and record all the bear dens that Andrea wanted us to cover. That’s a first in all our years in Sweden and Andrea was very pleased on our last night together. Well done everyone!
But the last few days weren’t just about dens. They were also about hunting bears.
Hunting bears by triangulation
First, we tried to locate a bear for Andrea and a Swedish film team that visited. A couple of teams tried to get a fix on a bear by radio telemetry.
So along some forest paths we drove, hopping out of the car at intervals, trying to get a fix. One stop, two, three, four – nothing.
Same for the other team. Location G1a, G1b, G1c, G1d – nothing.
Then a tree in the road that even team OWM could not tackle. So back again. Then team YT checked OWM, but found nothing either – of course. Team OWM knew exactly what it was doing.
Bears hunting moose
So onto job number 2 for the day. Andrea gave us areas where she could see by bear collar GPS data that bears had spent some time hanging around. Why?
Probably because they made a kill there. Bears in Sweden do hunt, kill and eat moose calves.
So we walked and we checked and we found just that. Moose bones, flesh, hooves. At one site the kill was super fresh – wet innards still on the ground. Then a noise in the undergrowth. Nothing. No bear there either – at least none that we encountered.
No bears – but lots of data to make Andrea happy. And what else could citizen scientists wish for but make their scientist happy.
More dens
In between, we had more dens to check and record, and more pretty locations to have our lunch breaks in.
Out in the field, the sun still shining on us, the wind rustling in the trees, gently rippling the lake surfaces, the dust from our wheels flying, hours spent on gravel roads through endless rows of trees, miles of pathless forest covered, where it feels like you are the first human ever to walk those woods to the faraway places where the bears have hidden their refuges for some peace, quiet and warmth during those long, dark Swedish winters.
End results
And what comes out at the end of all this? A picture says more than a thousand words and the smile on Andrea’s face says it all.
So thank you Tristan, Katharina, Wiktoria, Gerald, Isabelle, Trina and Victor. You have put in a sterling effort. Thank you Jan for your cooking and driving and leading and organising. Thank you Baptiste for your advice and knowledge and charm. Thank you Sarah for your company and antics and smiles. And thank you Andrea for what you do and letting us help you every year.
Read also: First I second I third I fourth I fifth diary entry of the Sweden brown bear conservation expedition . All Sweden 2026 diary entries on one page.
Author: Matthias Hammer
Biosphere Expeditions was founded in 1999 by Dr. Matthias Hammer. Born in Germany, he went to school there, before joining the Army, and serving for several years amongst other units with the German Parachute Regiment. After active service he came to the UK and was educated at St Andrews, Oxford and Cambridge. During his time at university he either organised or was involved in the running of several expeditions, some of which were conservation expeditions (for example to the Brazil Amazon and Madagascar), whilst others were mountaineering/climbing expeditions (for example to the Russian Caucasus, the Alps or the Rocky Mountains). With Biosphere Expeditions he has led teams all over the globe. He is a qualified wilderness medical officer, ski instructor, mountain leader, divemaster and survival skills instructor. Once a rower on the international circuit, an amateur marathon runner and Ironman triathlete, he now enjoys less extreme pursuits such as writing and long-distance walks in the wild.