Romania’s president has said the country has too many bears and action needs to be taken after a teenager was mauled to death on a mountain trail.
An eyewitness said the 19-year-old woman was dragged by her leg into the undergrowth by a brown bear while hiking in the Bucegi Mountains, a part of the country’s Southern Carpathians.
Rescuers later found her mutilated body. The bear, which became aggressive as they tried to retrieve the body, was shot by a hunter.
“We were notified that a tourist was attacked by a bear on the Jepii Mici trail near Valea Spumoasă. A rescue team from Salvamont Prahova (Romanian mountain rescue) went to the area, and they rappelled down the valley and found the victim, unfortunately deceased,” said Salvamont Prahova, cited by G4Media.
“The recovery operation was extremely difficult due to the rugged terrain and the continued presence of the bear,” Salvamont Prahova added.
“This is a situation we have not encountered before… We have had situations where animals came, threatened, demanded food, and made their presence felt to receive something. But here, it seems we are already talking about a direct attack, and this is not typical of bears,” the president of Salvamont Romania, Sabin Cornoiu, told EuropaFM.
The death prompted calls from politicians for action.
Klaus Iohannis, Romania’s president, who is in Washington for a NATO summit, said: “I was shocked by this tragedy, especially since I was on a trail near this place a few days ago. It is not normal for people to be killed by bears.”
“It is clear that we have too many bears and that bears injure or kill too many people. It is necessary to make legal changes, respecting European norms," he added.
Meanwhile, Mircea Fechet, the environment minister, said on Wednesday that “the brown bear population in Romania is out of control, and that relocating troublesome animals is not sufficient.”
In his view, euthanasia or culling of the bears is necessary. The minister said he would propose increasing the quotas for culling these animals from 220 to 500 specimens.
In March, Fechet reported that brown bears had been responsible for the deaths of 26 people in Romania over the past two decades.
Romania hosts Europe's largest brown bear population after Russia, estimated at around 8,000 individuals.
A major contributor to this trend is widely attributed to human activities, such as urban expansion into the bears' native habitats, a change in climate, and logging
Advocates for animal rights contend that enhanced preventive measures—such as education, electric fencing, and better habitat management—are the solution to the issue, rather than increasing bear culling.
“We were notified that a tourist was attacked by a bear on the Jepii Mici trail near Valea Spumoasă. A rescue team from Salvamont Prahova (Romanian mountain rescue) went to the area, and they rappelled down the valley and found the victim, unfortunately deceased,” said Salvamont Prahova, cited by G4Media.
“The recovery operation was extremely difficult due to the rugged terrain and the continued presence of the bear,” Salvamont Prahova added.
“This is a situation we have not encountered before… We have had situations where animals came, threatened, demanded food, and made their presence felt to receive something. But here, it seems we are already talking about a direct attack, and this is not typical of bears,” the president of Salvamont Romania, Sabin Cornoiu, told EuropaFM.
The death prompted calls from politicians for action.
Klaus Iohannis, Romania’s president, who is in Washington for a NATO summit, said: “I was shocked by this tragedy, especially since I was on a trail near this place a few days ago. It is not normal for people to be killed by bears.”
“It is clear that we have too many bears and that bears injure or kill too many people. It is necessary to make legal changes, respecting European norms," he added.
Meanwhile, Mircea Fechet, the environment minister, said on Wednesday that “the brown bear population in Romania is out of control, and that relocating troublesome animals is not sufficient.”
In his view, euthanasia or culling of the bears is necessary. The minister said he would propose increasing the quotas for culling these animals from 220 to 500 specimens.
In March, Fechet reported that brown bears had been responsible for the deaths of 26 people in Romania over the past two decades.
Reasons for increase in attacks
Romania hosts Europe's largest brown bear population after Russia, estimated at around 8,000 individuals.
A major contributor to this trend is widely attributed to human activities, such as urban expansion into the bears' native habitats, a change in climate, and logging
Dumpsters overflowing with human waste and food left on trails by tourists are also identified as significant factors.#urs impresionant la Ocolul Silvic Broșteni din cadrul #Romsilva
— Regia Națională a Pădurilor - Romsilva (@RNP_Romsilva) July 1, 2024
Meeting with an impressive brown #bear in a forest of Boșteni #Forest District, Suceava county, in #Romania #wildlife #Forestry #Bears #forests #NatureBeauty #naturephoto #NaturePhotograhpy #păduri #pădure #fauna pic.twitter.com/j6szjNgbJT
Advocates for animal rights contend that enhanced preventive measures—such as education, electric fencing, and better habitat management—are the solution to the issue, rather than increasing bear culling.
Source: PAP, Romania Insider, Deutsche Welle
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