Swedish hunters kill more than 150 brown bears in first days of annual cull

Campaigners denounce pure slaughter', which could threaten survival of entire Scandinavian population

More than 150 brown bears have been killed in the opening days of Sweden's annual bear hunt, as controversy mounts over what conservationists have called pure slaughter".

The Swedish government issued 486 licences to shoot bears in this year's hunt, equivalent to about 20% of the remaining brown bear population. This follows a record-breaking cull of 722 bears last year. By Thursday afternoon - the second day of the hunt - 152 bears had already been shot, according to Sweden's Environmental Protection Agency.