The government of Romania decided on Monday to allow the killing of almost 500 bears in 2024, more than double last year’s total, in response to a woman being killed by a bear on July 9 in the Bucegi Mountains.
Last year, authorities allowed the culling of 220 bears. This year, a total of 481 bears can be culled. The decision was made after the deadly attack on a hiker caused a nationwide outcry.
The new law was passed in an emergency parliamentary session to control the “overpopulation” of bears in the country.
Following the deadly bear-human conflict, in which the woman died from the attack and the bear was shot and killed, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu summoned lawmakers back from their summer recess to attend the emergency session.
The environment ministry estimates there are up to 8,000 bears in the country, which has Europe’s largest population of brown bears. However, this is only an estimate; there are no actual numbers available.
Brown bears are a protected species in Europe, and Romania usually tightly restricts hunting of the animals.
Environmental groups have denounced the new measure. Wildlife experts state that bear-human encounters are increasing because humans encroach on bears’ habitats. Climate change has also limited bears’ food sources.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) biologist Calin Ardelean told the AFP news agency that “the law solves absolutely nothing.” He said that the focus should shift towards “prevention and intervention.”
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