Romanian president signs law regulating bear population cull

Romania's head of state, Nicusor Dan, on Monday signed a law aimed at reducing the country's bear population, a bill he had previously challenged on constitutional grounds and sent back to parliament for reconsideration.

The legislation, which was re-adopted by the Chamber of Deputies on 16 September, allows the preventive shooting of 859 brown bears this year. A further 110 protected large wild animals may be hunted as an intervention measure if they pose a threat to human life.

In recent years it has become common in Romania for bears to appear in inhabited areas, and the number of bear attacks has risen sharply, with more and more fatal incidents.

According to the results of an earlier survey mapping the brown bear population, Romania is home to Europe's largest bear population and the greatest genetic diversity among bear species.

The study put the number of individuals at between 10,600 and 12,700.

Last week, Covasna County prefect Ráduly István warned that, because of the limited time available, it would be impossible to meet this year's quota. He pointed out that in the Szeklerland county 86 bears should be culled this year, of which 30 have already been removed, but there is not enough time left to reach the full quota.

The government's local representative said the law was much needed because both the number of bears and the damage they cause had increased significantly in the county. In the first eight months of this year, around 300 emergency calls were registered over bears straying into built-up areas and there were also two bear attacks.

Time running out to tackle overpopulation?

The law, initiated by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) and now revised, will enter into force once it is published in the official gazette. Some officials, however, warn that it is now impossible to fulfil this year's quota, as the months-long legal wrangle has left too little time to shoot several hundred large wild animals.

Nicusor Dan sent the draft law back to parliament in August after first lodging a constitutional challenge, which was rejected by the Constitutional Court. He asked parliament to review and supplement the legislation, arguing that the previously adopted law needed clarification on several points.

The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill without amendments, in the form already adopted by the Senate. During the debate some MPs urged that the law be put into practice as soon as possible.

Senator Tánczos Barna, acting deputy prime minister and one of the initiators, recalled that the alliance had requested nearly a year ago that preventive quotas be doubled for this year and for 2027.

He said this step followed a scientific survey which confirmed that the overpopulation of bears in Romania can only be curbed through more effective intervention, and that immediate action against dangerous bears does not replace broader population control measures.