In Romania, home to Europe's largest brown bear population outside Russia, attacks are on the rise as the bears venture out of the forests looking for food, often brought by tourists or left in unsecured garbage cans.
The problem is pitting herders and farmers against conservationists, with authorities dramatically upping the number of bears that can be culled this year by 50 percent to 220. And some MPs want that number doubled.
Results of a census using DNA to ensure roaming bears are not counted several times are still pending.But several locals in the Carpathian Mountains told AFP they were alarmed by increased bear sightings. "Bears cause damage and put our lives at risk," said the 40-year-old, who complained of the cost of keeping six dogs to protect the herd.
Bears can still attack when darted with a tranquiliser, said Miercurea Ciuc's mayor Attila Korodi, a three-time environment minister and advocate of more culling. "And who takes responsibility when someone is hurt?""I think Europe sees Romania not only as some sort of a sanctuary but as a museum where everything must stay as it is," Korodi told AFP.
His claims are challenged by conservationists, who fear the ever increasing quotas could open the door to trophy hunting. Not far from Miercurea Ciuc, the small touristy mountain town of Baile Tusnad is looking to become a "bear-smart community". EU environment ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Monday were working on setting a common position for the bloc on fossil...