The Slovak government has decided to allow the consumption of brown bear meat, angry environmentalists who on Wednesday slammed the speed as absurd and gave a boost to poachers.
Last month, Slovakia’s nationalist government approved the downpour of 350 bears with reference to the danger of humans and a constant increase in bear population.
Filip Kuffa, a Secretary of State at the Ministry of the Environment, said on Facebook this week that the state would offer removed animals for resale “because bear meat is edible”.
Brown bears are protected in Europe, but there are exceptions to shooting, and several countries, including Slovenia, also allow bears to be meat consumption.
Kuffa said Bear Meat must have a certificate before it hits the market, proving that the animal was chased in accordance with an exemption from protection.
Environmentalist Marian Hletko told AFP On Wednesday, the decision was “absurd” as the meat will be offered by the Ministry of the Environment’s organizations.
“The organizations designed to protect nature will turn into state slaughterhouses offering the meat of protected animals,” said Hletko from We Are Forest Initiative.
He added that it would also increase poaching as “when the state signalizes that it is not interested in protecting bears, poachers will be less concerned about potential sanctions”.
The government declared an emergency in most Slovak districts in April over “unwanted” the bear’s presence after deadly attacks.
“We can’t live in a country where people are afraid of going to the forest,” said Prime Minister Robert Fico.
The Slovak parliament already facilitated the rules of bear chimney in May 2024, allowing exceptions in several districts.
But the country must follow an EU directive that allows only to wipe out problem bears that damage property or attack people, and only if there is no other solution.
Hletko said a record high 92 bears were shot in the EU Member State of 5.4 million people by 2024, while another 52 died in car accidents or was killed by poachers.
Environment Minister Tomas Taraba recently said the Slovak bear stock exceeded 1,300 animals.
