Slovakia has declared a state of emergency and approved plans to cull 350 brown bears after a man was fatally attacked in a forest, escalating debates around wildlife management and conservation laws.
Slovakia Approves Controversial Bear Cull Following Fatal Attack
Slovakia Approves Controversial Bear Cull Following Fatal Attack
Slovak authorities extend emergency measures to allow the culling of brown bears after a deadly attack in Central Slovakia raises safety concerns.
The Slovak government has sparked significant controversy after announcing a drastic plan to cull approximately 350 out of the country's population of 1,300 brown bears. This decision follows a tragic incident where a 59-year-old man was killed by a bear while walking in a forest area near Detva, leading officials to express urgent safety concerns for their citizens.
Prime Minister Robert Fico's administration, during a recent cabinet meeting, affirmed that they cannot allow citizens to feel unsafe in their own forests. Consequently, the state of emergency, enabling the shooting of bears considered a danger to humans, has been expanded to cover 55 out of 79 districts across the country.
This culling initiative has drawn criticism from conservationists and environmental groups, who argue that it jeopardizes Slovakia's international obligations to wildlife protection. Michal Wiezek, an ecologist and member of the opposition party Progressive Slovakia, condemned the government’s actions as an inadequate response to managing bear populations. He suggested that the spike in bear-related incidents is not indicative of the broader bear population crisis, insisting that many encounters occur without incident.
Incidents involving bears have become a prominent political issue, further complicated by previous fatal encounters. In March 2024, a Belarusian woman tragically lost her life after falling into a ravine while fleeing a bear, and recent sightings of bears in populated areas have caused local alarm.
Environment Minister Tomas Taraba stated that while there are more than 1,300 bears in Slovakia, a reduction to 800 would be ideal to stabilize the population's growth. However, wildlife experts contest that the bear population remains around 1,270, indicating that this figure has stabilized rather than increased significantly.
With ongoing discussions about wildlife management and public safety, Slovakia faces difficult questions regarding balancing humane treatment of protected species with the safety of its residents. The fate of the bears now hangs in the balance amidst public outcry and political pressure.
