Tragic bear attack sparks urgent government action 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."

The tragedy that occurred on Tuesday, July 9, in the Bucegi Mountains shocked Romanians. While climbing the Jepii Mici trail, a young couple encountered a bear. 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.

At the same time, the man accompanying the deceased 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 their relocation is insufficient." According to him, bear culling is necessary. The Minister said he would propose increasing the culling quota from 220 to 500 specimens.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced the convening of an extraordinary parliamentary session dedicated to regulating the bear population. He added that certainly, bears will not be allowed to be killed anywhere, only in areas deemed "high risk." Referring to experts, Ciolacu said that there are too many bears and not enough food for them.

President Klaus Iohannis, who is in Washington, D.C. for the NATO summit, also commented on the situation.

- I was shocked by this tragedy, especially since I was on a trail near that location a few days ago. It is not normal for people to be killed by bears. We have too many bears and that bears are injuring or killing too many people. Legal changes are necessary, in accordance with European norms – he said.

He added that for healthy tourism to function in Romania, "it is unacceptable for animals to kill people, but equally, animals should not be killed just for pleasure."

He also criticized the legislative authorities for not taking action earlier and only "moving" when the tragedy occurred.

From Bucharest, Justyna Prus