There are about 1,300 brown bears living in Slovakia, but it's not a peaceful coexistence with the people who also live there: The AP reports that last year alone, there were 1,900 bear attacks against humans, according to Environment Minister Tomas Taraba. Now, after a recent attack that left a man dead, the nation has given the thumbs-up to a plan to cull 350 bears, via a state of emergency issued in 55 of Slovakia's counties. "We can't live in a country where people are afraid of going to forests," says Prime Minister Robert Fico.
The move comes after Slovak police confirmed on Wednesday that the body of a 59-year-old man had been found Sunday in a forest near Detva, in the central part of the country, with "devastating injuries" to his head that appeared consistent with a bear attack, per the BBC. The man had failed to return after a woodland stroll. It's not like the culling directive is something new for Slovakia: Last year, it got rid of nearly 150 bears, and Taraba now says that 800 or so bears after a new culling would be a "sufficient number" to keep the population stable.
However, environmental activists say the culling order breaches Slovakia's international agreement with the rest of the EU to only cull "problem" bears that have attacked people or damaged property, "and only if there is no other solution," per Deutsche Welle. Conservationists say that instead of shooting hundreds of bears to death, the Slovakian government should concentrate on preventive measures and offer PSAs on how humans can stay safe when enjoying the great outdoors. "Instead of ineffective solutions, we need to strengthen prevention—education, provision of garbage removal, regulation of baiting of game, or informing the public about safe movement in nature," says the Aevis Foundation, a Slovakian nature tourism group. (More Slovakia stories.)
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