Feeding bears to be punished with major fines in Romania

The Romanian government has approved a new emergency ordinance that introduces major fines for feeding wild bears, environment minister Diana Buzoianu announced on Thursday, November 6. The legislation also defines key terms such as "feeding of bears" and "habituated bear," aiming to curb practices that draw wildlife into populated areas, Agerpres reported.

The fines, the minister said, will range from RON 10,000 to RON 30,000 (approximately EUR 2,000–6,000).

The ordinance also introduces new intervention rules for bear–human incidents in urban areas. In such cases, local emergency committees will be allowed to decide on immediate measures, including chasing the animal away, relocation, or shooting, without applying the usual step-by-step protocol.

These emergency committees will also be able to meet electronically, allowing decisions to be taken even if all members cannot be physically present at the site of an incident. Local Police representatives may also join the committees, replacing the Gendarmerie when needed, to speed up response times, Buzoianu said.

According to the minister, the change is intended as a "balanced" approach between protecting biodiversity and ensuring public safety, noting that risks are significantly higher when bears enter towns.

Further on, Diana Buzoianu said that Romania will publish the results of a nationwide scientific study on bear populations by the end of November. The research, based on DNA samples collected over the past two years, will map bear distribution and identify high-risk areas, forming the basis for future intervention quotas.

"This study will also include an official map outlining different areas in Romania, indicating which zones are considered high-risk. The analysis has been carried out - and will continue - based on the regions where bear–human incidents have occurred, and using this zoning prepared by experts, the necessary intervention measures will be proposed," she explained.

Back in April, the Ministry of Environment shared the preliminary results of the study estimating Romania's brown bear population. The research, which analyzed over 24,000 genetic samples from 25 counties, suggested that the country is home to between 10,419 and 12,770 brown bears.

The ordinance passed on Thursday amends existing legislation governing rapid response methods for preventing and managing bear attacks on people and property.