Latest news with #Fechet
The Guardian
16-04-2025
- The Guardian
Romania promises laws to deal with brown bears as population estimate doubles
Romania may be home to as many as 13,000 brown bears, almost twice as many as previously thought, the country's forestry research institute has said, as officials promised new laws to allow communities to deal with 'crisis bear situations'. The institute's study of 25 counties in the Carpathian mountains was the first to use DNA samples from material such as faeces and hair. Previous estimates based on prints and sightings put the bear population at less than 8,000. According to environment ministry figures, bears have killed 26 people and severely injured 274 others over the past 20 years in Romania, the most recent fatality being a 19-year-old hiker who was mauled to death on a popular Carpathian trail last July. The government last year more than doubled its authorised cull of brown bears, a protected species in the EU, to 481 after recording more than 7,500 emergency calls to signal bear sightings in 2023 – more than twice the previous year's total. MPs argue 'overpopulation' is leading to an increase in attacks, an assertion disputed by environmental groups who say the focus must be shifted towards prevention, by keeping bears away from communities and targeting specific 'problem bears'. Germany's foreign ministry last week updated its Romania travel advice, noting that bears were increasingly venturing into residential areas and along roads, leading to 'dangerous encounters with humans'. It urged travellers to heed local warnings. Based on an analysis of about 24,000 samples collected over three years since 2022, the institute's study, published late last week, concluded there were between 10,419 and 12,770 individuals living in Romania – by far Europe's largest brown bear population outside Russia. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Romania has since questioned its methods, saying genetic studies were usually conducted over a much shorter period, but the institute has said it considers the survey 95% accurate. The Romanian environment minister, Mircea Fechet, said he would lobby the European Commission to lift the bears' protected status. The EU's habitats directive allows the animal to be killed only in exceptional circumstances and as a last resort. 'We have to intervene,' Fechet told local media. 'The specialists say the optimal bear population is around 4,000.' Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion He also promised to introduce a law allowing local officials to bypass the current system of 'gradual intervention' – which obliges mayors to first try to scare a bear off, or capture and relocate it – and instead put the animal down directly if necessary. Existing methods 'have so far proven ineffective', Fechet said, adding: 'I hope my proposal, which is currently under public consultation, will put an end to these tragedies. Human life comes first.' Slovakia this month also authorised a cull of 350 brown bears – about a quarter of its estimated population of 1,300 – after a 59-year-old man was mauled to death. Two other people died last year after being attacked or chased by bears. Slovaks 'cannot live in a country where people are afraid to go into the forest, and where humans become food for bears', said the country's populist prime minister, Robert Fico.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Census shows high number of brown bears in Romania
A census of brown bears using DNA for the first time has revealed that up to 13,000 of the protected species are living in Romania, much more than the 8,000 previously estimated, the government announced on Thursday. The announcement raised scepticism among activists, who slam the government for increasingly allowing bear hunting in the country, home to Europe's largest brown bear population outside Russia. Authorities have frequently argued in recent years that the bear population has became too large, as attacks on humans and lovestick have increased. Less than two weeks ago, a man was severely hurt by a bear in a mountain resort in Romania. He remains in critical condition. The new preliminary figures are taken from a genetic census done in the country, using more than 24,000 samples, including faeces and hair. Previously, bear prints were counted to give an estimate of the population. The new study -- launched in 2021, with the EU contributing 11 million euros ($12 million) in financing -- concluded between 10,419 and 12,770 brown bears live in Romania, while authorities say the optimal number is 4,000. "We can state for the first time in the history of Romania with a solid scientific basis how many bears we have in the forest," environment minister Mircea Fechet told a press conference. He added that measures are needed to make it easier to prevent bears reaching communities and putting lives of people in danger. One proposal is to give more flexibility to mayors to decide what to do with the animals. Romania will also again ask the European Union to remove bears from the list of strictly protected species, Fechet said. Cristian-Remus Papp from the Romanian branch of the World Wildlife Fund said he was surprised by the big number announced by the government, criticising a lack of transparency from the Romanian authorities about the genetic study. "There are a lot of unknowns about this study," he told AFP. In 2024, Romania allowed the killing of almost 500 bears -- double 2023's cull -- after a young hiker was mauled to death on a popular trail in Romania's Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania. The actual number killed was around 400, according to the environment ministry. Over the past two decades, bears have killed 26 people in Romania and seriously hurt 274, according to 2024 data. In 2023, 7,500 emergency calls related to bears were recorded. ani/jza/gv
