The “
biggest
” of the Romanian brown bears was shot dead by a prince of Liechtenstein during a hunting party, deplored two NGOs on Wednesday April 5th.
The environmental police for its part opened an investigation.
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"
Arthur was 17 years old and was the largest bear seen in Romania and arguably in the European Union,
" wrote Gabriel Paun, of the Romanian association Agent Green, in a statement, referring to the testimony of a guard. forester of the Covasna region (center). Bear hunting is prohibited in Romania but Prince Emanuel, who lives in Austria where his family owns a castle, had been granted an exemption to kill a female suspected of having attacked several farms last year, according to this NGO and the animal rights organization VGT. Tanczos Barna, Minister of the Environment, confirmed in local media the issuance of a permit, without giving the name of the beneficiary.
The prince killed in March "
a male who lived in the heart of the forest and had never approached the surrounding dwellings
", assures Gabriel Paun, with in support a document from a local association of hunters in the name of "
Emanuel Prinz von und zu Liechtenstein
". The bear's measurements are noted there at 593 points out of a maximum of 600, ie “
a record
”. "
It is obvious that the prince did not come to solve a problem affecting the villagers but to kill a bear and to take the biggest trophy to hang it on the wall
", indignant the activist. Authorities have not confirmed the identity of the hunter. "
We knew that a bear was to be killed, but we found a male
", Hence the decision to carry out checks, explained Octavian Bercean, head of the environmental police, who suspects"
poaching
".
For its part, the Princely House of Liechtenstein did not wish to comment on "
a private and personal question, of which it does not know the context
", while stressing its attachment to "
respect for nature
".
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Romania is home to some 6,000 brown bears, the largest population of plantigrades in Europe, and has seen an increase in conflicts over recent years over their presence, which is deemed to be invasive. While part of the population and elected officials are calling for a lifting of the ban on hunting, environmental defenders plead for the implementation of measures to improve cohabitation between humans and animals in rural areas.
