Environmental Groups Criticize "Violation of International Obligations"
Some Argue "Most Incidents Pass Without Accidents"
Slovakia recently decided to cull some of the 'brown bears' that have caused fatal attacks and even deaths to humans. There are about 1,300 brown bears living in the country, and the culling target is 350 bears, which is more than a quarter of the population.
On the 3rd, the BBC reported that the Slovak government approved a plan to euthanize 350 bears following recent fatal attacks on humans. This decision appears to have been made after a man was killed by a brown bear in central Slovakia last Sunday, recognizing the seriousness of the situation.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico declared a state of emergency in 55 out of 72 districts nationwide, stating, "We cannot live in a country where people are afraid to go into the forest." The Ministry of Environment has relaxed the criteria to directly authorize culling, having already eased legal protections once to allow bears to be killed if they come too close to human settlements.
However, environmental groups argue that "this decision violates the country's international obligations" and insist that "the state should instead take preventive measures."
Mihal Wijeck, a member of the 'Progressive Slovakia' party, criticized, "This is absurd. The Ministry of Environment's efforts to reduce bear attacks by culling brown bears have failed. Yet, the ministry decided to kill more bears to cover up this failure."
Meanwhile, on the 2nd, Slovak police confirmed that a man found dead in a forest near the village of Detva in central Slovakia was killed by a bear. The 59-year-old man was reported missing on the 29th of last month after going for a walk in the forest and not returning.
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