Just days after the death of a hiker, the Romanian parliament passed a law that would allow the killing of nearly 500 bears by 2024. Animal rights groups have denounced the law.
The deputies they unexpectedly returned from summer vacation pass this bill as an emergency, after the death of a 19-year-old last week shocked the country.
The 19-year-old was on a popular trail in the Southern Carpathians, south of the city of Brasov (center), when driven by a bear into an impassable gorge. Rescue teams were unable to save her despite her emergency call.
Extraordinary parliamentary session
President Klaus Johannis said he was “shocked” and said there were “too many bears”. Prime Minister Marcel Tsolaku called an emergency parliamentary session, which took place today, with MPs observing a minute’s silence in memory of the victim.
One bill approved by a large majority and gives the green light to the certified shooters kill 481 bears this year, compared to 220 in 2023;
Among their arguments, the project’s proponents cited “an overpopulation” of this protected species and a “alarming situation” that has led to an increase in attackswith the awareness that bear hunting is not “a miracle solution”.
The country with the most bears
Romania is the European Union country with the largest number of bears, with around 8,000 animals, according to an estimate by the Ministry of Environment.
In March, Bucharest asked Brussels to “reassess its conservation status and “consider updating its protection status”.
According to official data, in the last 20 years, 26 people have been killed by bears in Romania and 274 people were seriously injured. In 2023, 7,500 emergency calls were recorded.
WWF complains
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) denounced “a law that solves absolutely nothing”.
“It’s a mathematical calculation that assumes that the fewer bears there are, the lower the risk of attacks,” said Kalin Ardelin, when asked by AFP.
“However, we should focus primarily on prevention and targeted killing of bears is a problem,” he said.
The issue is mainly the poor management of waste and the behavior of Romanians, but also of foreign tourists, as many illegally feed the animals, which attracts them away from their natural environment.
Sources: AMPE, Reuters