Wild Bear Attack Sparks Controversy in Romania

Following a tragic incident where a 19-year-old hiker lost his life in a wild bear attack in Romania, the nation was gripped with fear and shock, leading to sensational tabloid headlines. Romania, known for hosting a significant population of wild brown bears and attracting big-game hunters, faced a heightened debate on bear management.

Responding swiftly to public outcry, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu summoned lawmakers back from their summer recess for an emergency parliamentary session on bear attacks. The outcome was a decision to increase the annual brown bear hunting quota from 220 to 481, a move that stirred mixed reactions.

Barna Tanczos, a senator and former environment minister advocating for a broader cull, defended the decision, stating, “There is no other viable alternative besides issuing prevention and intervention quotas for brown bears.”

However, Csaba Domokos, a bear biologist associated with the Milvus Group, a conservation organization in Romania, expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of the increased cull. He argued that the measure, if approved by the country’s president, might not address the root cause of human-bear encounters.

Domokos emphasized the importance of changing human behavior towards bears, citing instances where people had dangerously interacted with bears for the sake of selfies, contributing to the problem. He cautioned that solely focusing on hunting quotas may not prevent similar tragic incidents in the future.