Bear attacks in Slovakia: Government is planning drastic measures!

Bear attacks in Slovakia: Government is planning drastic measures!

In Slovakia, the conflicts between humans and bears are increasing, which has led to a significant increase in bear attacks. Exactly today, on May 24, 2025, a man was attacked by a bear while hiking and had to be treated in the hospital. These incidents are worried about the population, especially in regions such as the North Slovak city of Liptovsky Mikulas, where five people have already been medical care for similar attacks. The local authorities have therefore mobilized a special team and hunter to find a bear mother who could be responsible for the attack. The search takes place using drones and thermal imaging cameras. The municipal administration has asked the population to avoid the surroundings of the affected company area for the time being. According to Kleine Zeitung there are an estimated 1,200 free-living bears that usually avoid people.

However, there are dangerous encounters, especially when bear mothers protect their young. Some such clashes have ended fatally in recent years. Using current reports, it has been shown that the number of human-bear encounters increased from 650 in 2020 to around 1,900 in 2024. The government under Prime Minister Robert Fico caused the increase in these incidents to take drastic measures. Fico emphasizes that the security of the citizens has a top priority, which justifies government measures to hunt "problem -bearing". It was only in April 2025 that it was decided to shoot up to 350 of these bears, while 23 bears were already killed with the support of the army. In this context, environmental protection organizations criticize the procedure as disproportionate, since the brown bear in Slovakia is protected all year round.

political agenda and social effects

The killing of bears became a central topic in the political discourse of Slovakia. In particular, the new government under Prime Minister Fico used the bear problem as a strategic element in its election campaign. The bears now see more than two thirds of the population as a great danger. This has dug a deep trench between environmentalists and the government, which makes fun of the responsible use of bears through reconnaissance measures, while converting experts like Michal Haring consider the bear population to be stable and not problematic During a cabinet session about critical media and the opposition,

fico made fun of his political agenda against the bears. The whole thing happens against the background that the EU Commission checks the government's declaration of emergency, which was issued in two thirds of the country to facilitate hunting releases. Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba has already promised to lure, put on the bears, to remove, remove and to issue rules of conduct for the handling of bears to avoid further conflicts.

criticism and possible consequences

environmentalists are concerned about the health risks that arise from illegal bait positions for the bears that not only increase animal suffering, but also lead to an increase in conflicts. Studies from Romania, where the launch rate was doubled to 500 animals according to fatal bear attacks, also show that drastic measures do not necessarily improve the development of wildlife populations. The brown bear is considered a strictly protected species in accordance with the EU directive, and the measures of the Slovak government are under intensive observation.

Overall, the Slovak society and its government are at a critical turning point. Ensuring public security must be taken into account as well as the protection of nature and animals. The balancing act between these requirements is becoming increasingly challenging due to current events and political decisions.