Last month, Slovakia’s government announced a plan to cull 350 brown bears after an increase in bear attacks over the last decade. According to the BBC, they declared this week that the culled bear meat could be sold to the public, provided it meets the required legal and hygienic standards.
These decisions come on the heels of years of brutal bear attacks. The country reported a total of 54 bear attacks from 2000 to 2020, with the average number of attacks rising to about 10 per year. Just last week, a woman was attacked in a forest about six miles away from the capital while walking her dog. In March, a 59-year-old man was fatally mauled while walking in a forest in Central Slovakia.
These encounters are by no means outliers to spark this drastic decision. In March of last year, a 31-year-old Belarusian woman fell into a ravine and died while being chased by a bear in northern Slovakia. Several weeks later, a large brown bear was captured on video running through the center of a small town in broad daylight, bounding past cars and lunging at people on the pavement.
The entire bear population numbers about 1,300, which means they plan to kill about 25%. After a cabinet meeting recently, Prime Minister Robert Fico said, “We can’t live in a country where people are afraid to go into the woods.”
Regardless of the increase in maulings, the government-authorised cull has been criticised by conservationists and opposition politicians, including in the European Parliament. The brown bear is listed as a “near threatened” species in the EU by the World Conservation Union. Because of this, they may only be killed in exceptional cases, i.e., when they’re considered a threat to public safety.
Still, the leader of the party in opposition to Prime Minister Fico places the blame for the attacks at the feet of the government. He says they should have done more to mitigate the conflicts, and now they’re just trying to cover up their mistakes.
However, population density is likely a key player in this increase in violent bear encounters.
Slovakia’s land mass is about 19,000 square miles. That’s 6,000 square miles smaller than West Virginia, which is the closest state comparison at 24,000 square miles. For context, Montana is 147,000 square miles, and some argue the 800 grizzly bear population there is too big.
Not to mention, about 5.5 million people live in Slovakia. Compare that to the million who reside in Montana, and it’s no surprise that the Eastern European country is dealing with more bear attacks.
With the government-ordered cull, the people of Slovakia will be able to purchase a rare and incredible delicacy tasted by few and coveted by many in the hunting world: brown bear meat.
State Minister Filip Kuffa pointed out how wasteful it was that previously, bears were just sent to carcass disposal facilities. “We will release every shot animal that meets certain conditions for consumption. Why? Because bear meat is edible,” he said.
Not only is bear edible, it’s incredibly delicious. Check out these recipes if you’re fortunate enough to get some in your kitchen.
Read the full article here