When a 19-year-old hiker tragically lost his life in a wild bear attack in Romania last week, shockwaves rippled through the country, sparking fear and sensational headlines in tabloids. With Romania being home to a significant population of wild brown bears and a popular spot for big game hunters, the incident prompted a swift response from lawmakers.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu took action by recalling lawmakers from their summer break for an emergency parliamentary session to address the issue of bear attacks. The outcome was a decision to increase the annual kill quota for brown bears from 220 to 481, more than doubling the number of bears that can be legally hunted in Romania.
Barna Tanczos, a senator and former environment minister advocating for a broader cull, defended the move, stating, “There is no other viable alternative besides issuing prevention and intervention quotas for brown bears.”
However, experts like Csaba Domokos, a bear biologist from the conservation organization Milvus Group in Romania, argue that the increased cull may not effectively address the root cause of human-bear encounters. Domokos emphasized that changing human behavior towards bears, including discouraging risky practices like feeding bears for selfies, is crucial to preventing future tragic incidents.
