Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that the government will submit a constitutional law on the shooting of bears. According to the Markíza television server, he announced this after a cabinet meeting in the city of Galanta in the west of the country.
Fico described the situation surrounding the bears as acute. “The bears are starting to wake up and they’re going to cause huge problems. A categorical decision had to be made today, ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately we had to do it by constitutional law, otherwise it is not possible,” announced Fico.
According to the prime minister, the proposal will help solve the problem in a “reasonable time.”
The threat of bears started to be talked about in Slovakia after a woman who was attacked by one in the Low Tatras died in mid-March. The week before last, another beast wandered from the mountains to Liptovský Mikuláš and injured several people there. This bear was shot on Tuesday (more here).
However, the authorities have declared an emergency situation in several regions due to the bears, which in practice simplifies the implementation of various measures.
Interview with an expert
There are more bears in Slovakia than, for example, 30 years ago, but there has not been a significant increase in the population in recent years. The beast rarely attacks humans, it usually runs away, says zoologist and bear expert Michal Kalaš in an interview for Seznam Zprávy.
ČTK reminds that the topic of bear clashes with people and the possible overpopulation of this protected animal last year in Slovakia entered the campaign before the early parliamentary elections. At that time, the representatives of the current Fico government were pushing for a drastic approach.
However, Michal Kalaš from Malá Fatra National Park pointed out in a recent interview for Seznam Zprávy that the recent incidents were not caused by any sudden change in the number of bears in Slovakia or in their behavior. According to Kalash, it is only possible to consider the reduction of protection and regulated bear hunting proposed by politicians or hunters only on the basis of scientific findings and recommendations.
According to him, the increase in the number of bears in recent decades is largely due to changes in the distribution of agricultural crops. “Specifically, I am referring to corn, which is an energy-rich and at the same time easily available food source for bears, and which was not previously grown in mountainous areas. That certainly played a role, and it doesn’t just apply to bears,” Kalash said.
