Overview

• The government approved in April the culling of up to 350 ‘problem bears’, and 23 have been shot so far with army assistance.
• Subunits of the Environment Ministry have begun issuing licenses that certify restaurants can legally serve bear meat.
• Opposition lawmaker Tamara Stohlova condemned the move as turning wildlife policy into a meat trade.
• There are about 1,200 free-living bears in Slovakia, which can only be culled if they pose a threat to humans under existing protections.
• The debate over the meat plan intensified after a 49-year-old man was seriously injured by a bear on company premises.