Did they shoot another animal? A Slovak MEP questioned the death of an attacking bear

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A bear that injured several people in the town of Liptovský Mikuláš more than a week ago was shot in Slovakia on Tuesday. Slovak Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba wrote this on the social network on Wednesday.

According to the minister, the beast was identified using a drone with biometrics technology. The bear reached the densely populated part of Liptovský Mikuláš on March 17 from the surrounding mountains, where it subsequently returned.

However, Slovak MEP for the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) and environmentalist Michal Wiezik claims that the intervention team shot a different beast. In this connection, there has been speculation on the Internet that the authorities, in an attempt to reassure the public, have ordered the killing of any bear that is similar in age and weight to the one being sought. However, a representative of the Ministry of the Environment denied this information.

Authorities in several Slovak regions have declared a state of emergency due to bears, which in practice simplifies the implementation of various measures. On Wednesday, the Slovak government also approved a draft constitutional law, which is supposed to allow the shooting of otherwise protected bears, if they move in municipalities or in their immediate surroundings. According to PS, the proposal is contrary to European law.

The topic of bear clashes with people and the possible overpopulation of this protected animal last year in Slovakia affected the campaign before early parliamentary elections. At the time, representatives of the current government coalition claimed that the state was not acting forcefully enough against bears that injured people.

Some politicians or institutions have also questioned an earlier study by conservationists and scientists from Czech universities, according to which the bear population in Slovakia numbers a maximum of 1,275 animals. In January of this year, the authorities presented a plan to simplify and speed up the procedure for interventions against problem bears.