Romania Expands Bear Cull amid Criticism

Romanian authorities are trying to curb increasingly frequent encounters between people and bears, but critics argue that the problem lies not only in the size of the population but also in inadequate enforcement of existing rules.

One problem area is the Transfagarasan mountain road, where dozens of bears appear daily, attracting tourists. Many people feed them despite the bans.

The Romanian ministry of the environment estimates the brown bear population at 10,000 to 13,000, the largest in Europe outside of Russia, and encounters between bears and humans are becoming increasingly frequent there. Over the past 20 years, nearly 30 people have died in Romania as a result of bear attacks.

Consequently, back in April, the lawmakers doubled the annual culling limit to nearly 900 bears, a move the president later challenged in the country's constitutional court. The court dismissed his petition at the end of June.

Some experts and conservationists disagree with this approach, arguing that the cull will target large bears in the forests rather than female bears and cubs that venture into populated areas in search of food. Critics also claim that the government does not consistently enforce fines for feeding bears and does not monitor compliance with other measures.

(Reuters, bak)