The cute sight of brown bears is often a delight for hikers in the Romanian Carpathians, one of the most important habitats for these animals in Europe. But now a fatal attack has taken place there.
A 19-year-old woman has died after being attacked by a bear. The young tourist was dragged away by the wild animal during a hike in the Bucegi massif south of Brasov, according to an eyewitness who then made the emergency call, reports Romanian news agency Mediafax.
Bear was shot
Less than an hour later, mountain rescuers and police officers recovered the woman’s body on Tuesday evening. They shot the bear because it also tried to attack the rescuers.
8000 brown bears in the Carpathians
According to government estimates, there are about 8,000 brown bears in the Romanian Carpathians. It is the second largest bear population in Europe, after Russia. They frequently attack hikers, raid farms and rummage through garbage cans in cities like Brasov in search of food.
Minister calls for higher mortality rates
After the latest death, Romanian Environment Minister Mircea Fechet called for higher killing quotas for bears. As minister, he demanded that 500 animals be killed annually, but after consultation with other institutions, this number was reduced to 220.
Among other things, authorities are repeatedly transporting aggressive bears to other regions of Romania. This method is of no use, Minister Fechet told the Antena3 CNN broadcaster. It only means “that we are shifting the problem from one district to another.”
Source: Krone
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