Total of 92 Brown Bears Eliminated in Slovakia until November 7

Bratislava, November 16 (TASR) - A total of 92 protected brown bears were eliminated in Slovakia from the beginning of the year until November 7, according to data that TASR obtained based on its request for information. Since the beginning of this year, 16 emergency situations have been declared due to the occurrence of problematic bears, of which ten are still in place, according to the information provided to TASR by the Interior Ministry. This applies to the entire Zilina region, the districts of Kezmarok, Poprad (both Presov region), Turcianske Teplice, Martin, Cadca, Liptovsky Mikulas (Zilina region), Brezno (Banska Bystrica region) and to the village of Kravany in the district of Poprad. An emergency situation can be declared due to the presence of the brown bear, as in the case of an earthquake or a terrorist attack. Once it is declared, it should be forbidden to create bait sites that could attract bears. A respective municipality is obliged to remove existing bait sites in the area with a declared state of emergency. If the bait sites aren't the cause of the presence of the bear, the law allows for exceptions to be granted to eliminate individuals that pose a potential threat to life, health, and property damage by their presence and behaviour. Bears can also be shot dead by hunting associations. ko/mcs