Slovakia has instituted a state of emergency in 55 of those countries, or 72 counties. This decision follows an unprecedented increase in bear attacks on humans that led to a recent fatality. Faced with heightened fears for public safety as bear-human interactions skyrocketed, the government eventually authorized a plan to cull 350 bears. That decision came after a sad episode in central Slovakia. His body, that of a 59-year-old man, was discovered with evident signs that he had been killed by a bear attack.
The Environment Ministry has also received the authority to directly issue permits for the cull. This bill focuses on management of the country’s increasing brown bear population, which is expected to exceed 1,000 later this year. Indeed, bear attacks have recently become alarmingly more frequent. Jared Paben/Flickr Under pressure from advocates, last year the U.S. metropolitan areas saw these incidents peak at an astronomical 1,900.
In this situation, Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba was a crucial actor in the decision-making process in favor of the culling. Prime Minister Robert Fico personally expressed outrage over this crisis in public safety. As he stated at the time, “We cannot live in a country where people are scared to go to a forest.”
The recent attack that resulted in the death of a 59-year-old man has added fuel to the fire to the ongoing debates over wildlife management and public safety. Federal authorities are now looking into the circumstances of his death. This tragic incident has led officials to call for quick measures to prevent such dangers from happening again.
This number is included among the slaughter plan approved, and as part of this culling plan, the Environment Ministry will permit the killing of 144 bears in 2024. This measure is a big step towards protecting both visitors and residents from increasing dangers with the bear population. Similar moves were passed in Romania last year, pointing to a larger regional issue of wildlife management and human-wildlife interactions in Southeast Europe.
The decision to cull bears has been met with backlash from environmentalists and animal rights advocates. In defense of his government, Slovak insists a high level of public safety should not be traded off with the country’s wildlife protection endeavors.
