The government in Bratislava has recently enacted measures to relax legal protections for bears, enabling the killing of these animals if they venture too close to human settlements. By the end of 2024, this controversial policy had already resulted in the shooting of 93 bears.
Conservationists have voiced strong opposition to plans for even greater culling, arguing that the government’s actions violate international conservation obligations and may be illegal under both national and international law. They stress that this decision undermines the essential protections afforded to a species that is already classified as vulnerable.
“It’s absolutely absurd,” stated Michal Wiezek, an ecologist and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing the opposition party, Progressive Slovakia. Wiezek criticized the Environment Ministry for its failure to effectively curb bear attacks through the unprecedented culling of this protected species. “In an effort to mask their shortcomings, the government has opted to eliminate even more bears,” he emphasized during an interview with the BBC.
Furthermore, Wiezek highlighted that there are thousands of human-bear encounters each year that conclude without incident, expressing hope that the European Commission would intervene before further harm comes to the bear population.
In a chilling turn of events, Slovak police confirmed on Wednesday that a man was found dead in a forest near the town of Detva in Central Slovakia. The man, aged 59, had been reported missing on Saturday evening after he failed to return from a walk in the woods. Authorities determined that the cause of death was consistent with a bear attack, marking a tragic reminder of the complex interactions between wildlife and human activities.
