Romania’s Environment Ministry to allow the killing of 140 bears

The Environment minister Gratiela Gavrilescu said last Friday that she would issue a minister order that would allow the killing of over 140 large carnivores, as the bears have become a real threat to the population, reports local News.ro. “In the period before my mandate, when a minister order was required to regulate this situation, not only has it not been done, but barriers have been put so that today we are in the unusual situations in which the bear attacks the people’s households, attacks the people,” the minister said. “The number of large carnivores, bears respectively, exceeds 7,000 in Romania, and that’s why I had the courage to assume a minister order that was very well negotiated with NGOs and all local authorities that have problems with these large carnivores,” she added. The main counties that encounter these problems are Covasna, Harghita, and Mures. The minister also said that she would issue this minister order “regardless of how many protests will be organized in front of the Ministry.” BBC video shows hungry bears looking for food in Romanian town Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com