The Romanian government has proposed killing three times as many bears annually as last year to curb “overpopulation” of the protected species. According to the proposal presented yesterday, up to 426 bears could be shot per year; last year there were 140. The proposal immediately drew criticism from environmental protection organizations.
According to an estimate by the Ministry of the Environment, around 7,500 to 8,000 bears currently live in Romania. From 2016 to 2021, there have been 154 bear attacks, killing 14 and injuring 158 others, according to the ministry. According to the government’s proposal, hunters could shoot the animals in addition to “technical staff”.
Environmental groups criticized the proposal as a free pass for trophy hunting, which is actually forbidden.
