Romania’s brown bear dilemma: A looming crisis of human-bear conflict

Ordinary citizens and the authorities in Romania are grappling with a problem familiar to SA – how to control overpopulations of certain wildlife species.

In Romania, it is the iconic brown bear which is giving the most headaches.

As in other parts of Europe, the animals are making a comeback after being hunted for many years.

But, now, they are posing a threat as they begin to lose their fear of humans. Attacks on people are on the rise, leading to calls for the animals to be culled in greater numbers.

Echoes the situation in SA

That echoes the situation in South Africa, where the culling of elephants has become an emotional hot button issue, often lining up animal lovers and scientists on opposite sides of the debate.

In both countries, the clock cannot be turned back. Humans have already had a massive impact on the environment – from cutting off traditional migration routes in the case of elephants, to the provision of new sources of food around urban areas for roaming and scavenging brown bears.

Unchecked elephant populations can destroy a savannah bush environment, while brown bears are powerful predators that can easily kill a person.

Sadly, this mess is created by humans and we have to manage it.

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