Project: More than 2,000 bears to be killed in Romania in 10 years

The Romanian Environment Ministry had drafted and published for debate a plan of action for the conservation of bears in Romania, which covers a period of ten years and includes several measures to be taken, including the hunting of bears. The document shows that Romania had between 6,050 and 6,640 bears in 2016, and the optimum size of the population of brown bear, from an ecological, social and economic point of view, is about 4,000. This means that Romania may have to kill 2,000 bears, local Hotnews.ro reported. The plan also provides for the relocation of bears, where they cause problems, as well as compensations for those affected by the damages caused by the wild animals. The ministry also wants to take preventive measures to reduce or prevent conflicts between bears and people. The NGOs have already reacted to the ministry’s plan, saying that it actually allows trophy hunting in Romania. Moreover, they say that hunting the bears doesn’t solve the cause of the conflicts between these animals and people. “Hunting can’t be presented as a solution to prevent man-bear conflicts in a national plan as long as the species is strictly protected,” WWF Romania said, cited by local Hotnews.ro. Environment minister Gratiela Gavrilescu said earlier this month that the authorities don’t know the exact number of bears roaming Romania’s woods but, according to some estimates, there may be some 8,000-9,000 bears in the country. She added that, if these estimates were confirmed, Romania’s bear population would be almost six times higher than in the rest of Europe. Bears are protected species by international and Romanian laws. This means that regular bear hunting for sport or trophy is not allowed in Romania. However, bears can be killed here in certain cases, but only if the Minister of Environment issues a ministerial order. For example, if a bear causes serious damage or poses threats to the population, the minister can issue a killing permit. Nature in the Fagaras Mountains: Romania’s brown bear Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com