Six-Month-Old Bear Cub Shot Dead in Slovakia — Environmentalists Demand Answers

A scandal is brewing in Slovakia over the death of a six-month-old bear cub: on 12 June, a rapid-response team from the Low Tatras National Park (NAPANT) shot dead a 5.5-kilogram male cub in the cadastral area of Pavčina Lehota in the Demänovská Valley. The environmental initiative "My jsme les" (We Are the Forest) reported the incident on social media on Wednesday.

Neither the national park administration nor Slovakia's Ministry of the Environment has commented on the incident so far. According to the newspaper Sme, the State Nature Conservancy is redirecting all inquiries to the park administration.

What the Authorities Are Hiding

The "We Are the Forest" organisation says it obtained the information through Slovakia's freedom of information law, but the park administration refused to disclose the exact location of the shooting. According to activists, it still remains unclear under what circumstances the animal was killed and what happened to its mother.

"How could a defenceless bear cub pose a serious threat to the public, and what specific circumstances led to the decision to shoot it?" the organisation said in its statement. Authorities have not disclosed whether the cub was injured, abandoned by its mother, or whether the shooting was linked to other causes.

Environmentalists are urging the state to focus on preventing human-bear conflicts — in particular, by securing waste containers and eliminating factors that draw predators into populated areas.

Bears as a Political Football in Slovakia

The bear issue has long been a subject of political controversy in Slovakia. Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba advocates for broader culling of "problem" animals, while conservation groups insist that preventive measures should take priority.

Under Slovak law, shooting a bear is permitted only in exceptional cases — when an animal poses a serious threat to public safety or causes significant damage, and no other solution is available. After a 2024 amendment to the law, the Ministry of the Environment was granted the authority to quickly issue culling permits in regions where a state of emergency has been declared.

The European Commission and environmental organisations have repeatedly stressed that such exceptions should apply to a specific dangerous animal and cannot be used as a tool for mass population control. The scale of culling in Slovakia remains a constant point of contention.

This year alone, authorities have recorded several bear attacks on people. The most recent occurred in the Turiec region, where, after an attack on a man, a rapid-response team killed the aggressive female bear along with her two cubs. Mayors of local municipalities are demanding more decisive action from the state, noting that predators are increasingly appearing near populated areas.

At the same time, Slovak authorities are continuing a nationwide genetic mapping project of the brown bear population. The State Nature Conservancy has already collected more than 3,500 biological samples — DNA analysis is expected to provide a representative estimate of the country's bear population. Sample collection has been extended until the end of November.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz