Romania’s government announced on Thursday that it plans to allow the culling of 426 bears in 2023, up from 140 last year, saying the protected species is growing too fast and attacks are on the rise.

The decision is necessary to “avoid imminent danger,” the order of the Ministry of Natural Resources states.

“There is no satisfactory alternative as the problem bears relocated by the hundreds have either returned to their original habitat or caused new conflicts,” he added.

In total, from 2016 to 2021, 154 attacks were recorded in our country: according to official data, 158 people were injured and 14 died.

“We are proposing this measure because too many people died and the compensation was too high,” Minister Barna Tanchos said recently, adding that he wants to return to “optimal density.”

According to government data, Romania is home to the largest population of bears in Europe (excluding Russia).

In a statement to AFP, Greenpeace condemned the “cynical decision” which contravened European directives, saying the country was facing a “new infringement procedure”.

The NGO plans to appeal this increase in quotas, allowing “commercial hunting” to return. Until now, the killing was carried out only by specialized personnel.

Sport hunting, which used to attract enthusiasts from all over the world in search of a “trophy”, has been banned since 2016 to protect the species.

Romania bases its scientific monitoring of the bear population on collecting clues left in the field, such as paw prints, a method that does not allow for an accurate census.

In 2021, the authorities announced the gradual introduction of genetic typing to determine the identity of each animal by collecting droppings and hair in the field.

But only 1,200 samples have been collected so far out of a target of 18,000, the minister said, according to AFP.

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