Animal strictly protected in the EU Shot bears are to be put on the plate in Slovakia
"Problem bears" may be killed in Slovakia. Instead of destroying their carcasses, they are to be served in restaurants in future. But the proposal is meeting with resistance.
28.05.2025, 04:35
28.05.2025, 05:02
SDA
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- The nationalist State Secretary for the Environment Filip Kuffa has announced that in future, killed brown bears will be served on plates in Slovakia.
- He said it was a waste that the shot animals were currently being disposed of in carcass processing plants.
- Under pressure from hunters and local politicians, the government in Bratislava decided in April to shoot up to 350 so-called "problem bears".
- In recent years, there have been several collisions with humans, some of which have ended fatally.
- According to conservationists, Slovakia is also violating European nature conservation law with the planned reduction, as the brown bear is strictly protected in the EU.
In future, killed brown bears are to be put on the plate in Slovakia. This was announced by State Secretary for the Environment Filip Kuffa. He said it was a waste that the shot animals had previously been disposed of in carcass processing plants. This should change immediately, the nationalist politician wrote on Facebook.
He explained: "We will release every shot animal that meets certain conditions for consumption. Why? Because bear meat is edible." Sub-organizations of the Ministry of the Environment have already started to issue licenses for resale to restaurants. The traders would then have to apply for certificates - to confirm that the animal was legally killed.
After Kuffa's proposal was published in several media outlets, it was criticized. Kuffa was "turning the Ministry of the Environment into a butcher's shop", criticized the liberal opposition MP Tamara Stohlova to the news agency TASR.
Controversial bear killings
According to official counts, there are around 1,200 bears living in the wild in Slovakia. They are generally protected all year round. They may only be shot under certain conditions if they pose a threat to humans. In recent years, there have been several collisions with humans, some of which have ended fatally. Most recently, a 49-year-old man was seriously injured by a female bear on a company premises on Saturday.
Under pressure from hunters and local politicians, the government in Bratislava decided in April to shoot up to 350 so-called "problem bears". So far, only 23 of them have actually been killed with the support of the army, Kuffa announced after the incident on Saturday. The State Secretary himself is one of the most vehement supporters of the controversial shooting plans.
According to conservationists, Slovakia is also violating European nature conservation law with the planned reduction, as the brown bear is strictly protected in the EU. According to the European directive, animals may only be killed if no other solution can be found to resolve the conflict.