No country for bears? Romania's parliament approves stepping up bear culling

Romania’s parliament on Monday (July 15) approved the culling of almost 500 bears this year to address the "overpopulation" of the protected species, following a deadly attack on a hiker that triggered nationwide concern.

Home to approximately 8,000 brown bears, Romania boasts Europe’s largest brown bear population outside of Russia, according to the environment ministry. Over the past 20 years, bears have killed 26 people and severely injured 274 others in the country, according to an official Romania government readout released earlier this year.

The recent death of a young hiker, who was mauled on a popular trail in Romania’s Carpathian mountains, prompted Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to recall lawmakers from their summer recess for an emergency parliamentary session.

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During the session on Monday, parliament adopted legislation to control the brown bear population and observed a moment of silence in memory of the 19-year-old victim.

Romania's bear culling law: What is it?

The newly approved law authorises the culling of 481 bears in 2024, more than double last year’s total of 220. Lawmakers contended that bear overpopulation had led to an increase in attacks.

Environmental groups have criticised the measure. Calin Ardelean, a biologist with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), said, "The law solves absolutely nothing,” and advocated for a focus on “prevention and intervention” and addressing "problem bears."

WWF Romania said that culling will not resolve the issue without implementing measures to keep bears away from communities, such as improved waste management and discouraging people from feeding the animals.

In 2023, Romanian authorities recorded about 7,500 emergency calls reporting bear sightings, more than double the number from the previous year.

(With inputs from agencies)