Bear attack prompts emergency session and calls for culling in Romania
A 19-year-old tourist was killed by a bear while hiking on a mountain trail. The Minister of Environment admitted that "the bear population has gotten out of control." The Prime Minister announced an extraordinary parliamentary session, and the President stated that "there are too many bears in Romania."
6:52 AM EDT, July 11, 2024
The tragedy on Tuesday, July 9, in the Bucegi Mountains shocked Romanians. While climbing the Jepii Mici trail, a young couple encountered the animal. The bear grabbed the woman by the leg and dragged her away. At that time, the terrified tourist spoke with the 911 operator, who heard her screams and calls for help.
Rescuers arrived too late
Meanwhile, the man accompanying the woman was also calling 911. Rescuers were supposed to give him instructions on how to avoid a bear attack, but they proved ineffective. Rescuers arrived at the scene when the woman was already dead. They shot the bear, which attempted to attack them.
Health Minister Mircea Fechet stated on Wednesday that the brown bear population in Romania has gotten out of control, and "relocating bears does not yield results." According to him, bear culling is necessary. The Minister said he would propose increasing the culling quota from 220 to 500 bears.
Emergency parliamentary session dedicated to bears
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced convening an extraordinary parliamentary session dedicated to regulating the bear population. He added that bears will not be allowed to be killed indiscriminately, only in areas deemed "high risk." Referring to experts, Ciolacu said there are too many bears and insufficient food for them.
President Klaus Iohannis, who is in Washington, D.C., for the NATO summit, also commented on the situation.
“I am very worried and shocked by the event. Shocked. On Saturday, I was on a trail in the Bucegi Mountains and shortly after, I find out that this misfortune happened very close to where I was. I am neither a hunter nor a specialist in the field, but we have enough, and it is time to come up with a legislative solution that respects all European standards but also respects human life. We cannot protect animals at the expense of humans," he said.
He added that he doesn't "believe animals should be killed just for fun, a middle ground must be found, and I hope that this time those responsible find a real solution," also to allow tourism in Romania to flourish.
He also criticized the legislative authorities for not taking action earlier and only "moving" when the tragedy occurred.
