The Return of Romania’s Bear Hunt

A law has finally passed in Romania to bring back the brown bear hunt. It requires the Ministry of Environment to produce a hunting quota for wildlife management each year.

Since the hunting ban in late 2016, several organizations, such as the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), have been working for Romania to adopt an action plan that reflects how hunting is a way of restoring the optimum population in overpopulated areas. Through the efforts of these working groups, a law passed in late May that made hunting a mandatory part of annual wildlife movement plans.

When the draft of the action plan arose in April, opposition about the possible culling of thousands of bears flooded media. With the law passing in May, many believe the battle may have ended, especially since bear attacks and sightings became so frequent after the ban that citizens were ready to take matters in their own hands.

Since 1989, regional hunting associations had been controlling the brown bear permits until a progressive official came into office and banned hunting in October 2016.

Romania is home to around half of Europe’s brown bear population. Their mountains are home to around 6,000 bears.

Sources: CIC and The Guardian

 

Recent Posts