Environment minister announces plan for new bear sanctuary in Romania

A new bear sanctuary could be built in Romania as the existing one, located in Zarnesti, in Brasov county, is getting close to its maximum capacity, according to Costel Alexe, the Romanian environment minister.

The new sanctuary for bears will be set up in the same county as the current one, and the authorities want to use EU funds for this project.

“The bear sanctuary from Zarnesti has been a unique space in Romania for more than 15 years, a space essential in the fight to preserve biodiversity in our country, but today this place is approaching maximum capacity. […] We will submit in the coming weeks the file for a EUR 10 million project financed from European funds, which provides for the construction, in partnership with the Kronstadt Public Authority of Brasov, of a new sanctuary for bears in the county,” Alexe announced on Facebook.

He also announced the “largest and most complex study on the population of bears in Romania,” which will tell the Romanian authorities the exact number of bears living in the country.

In addition, a national program to prevent human-animal conflicts and keep the population safe will be implemented this year in Romania, the minister said. The money for this program will come from the Environment Fund.

“Romanians living in counties where bears are also found will be able to benefit from financing for the purchase of electric fences. Whether we speak of sheepfolds, cottages, households, schools or hospitals, Romanians will be able to protect their property and life better,” Costel Alexe explained.

Estimates say that about 6,000 brown bears roam Romania’s forests in the Carpathian Mountains - the largest population of bears within the European Union. The large population of brown bears has become a problem throughout the high regions in Romania. With their natural habitat declining, more bears have started to go to inhabited areas in search of food.

(Photo source: Facebook/Costel Alexe)