The bear that was hit by a train on Saturday between the towns of Tušnadu Nou and Vrabiya was shot because, after being injured, it hid in the village of Tušnadu Nou and posed a danger to local residents, Harghita President Borboly Csaba said on his Facebook page. .

According to the cited source, the order to shoot was given by the mayor because the seriously wounded animal “posed an imminent danger.”

Borboli Csaba told Agerpres that the bear in question, a large male, had been “terrorizing” the villagers of Tushnadu Nou for several weeks and had “set up in the courtyard of the cultural center”.

According to him, after the collision with the train, the animal was seriously injured, it had “shredded lungs and several organs”, but it remained alive and hid in the village, “becoming even more dangerous”, so the decision was made before extraction.

In this context, Borboly claimed that he has received several reports from county residents that “they are not taken seriously” when they call 112 to report the presence of bears, as a result of which he will demand an investigation into the matter.

At the same time, he indicated that the current regulations on hunting dangerous bears should be improved, saying that in Harghita, five to ten calls to the emergency number 112 are registered every day, reporting the presence of bears in populated areas, but this year was an order was given to shoot only nine copies.

He noted that decisions on shooting dangerous bears should be made by specialists, not mayors.

Borboli said he appreciates the steps taken by UDMR Environment Minister Tanchos Barna, who he says is the only one “who is campaigning to alleviate human-bear conflicts,” but “legislative adjustments” are needed and the approach “must be closer to people.”

According to Borboli, the Harghita District Council is currently preparing expert reports on the impact of current legislation in this area and will propose changes that will be submitted to the relevant ministry.