Czech zoo files EU complaint over ‘barbaric’ cull of bears in Slovakia – POLITICO

The Tabor Zoo in the Czech Republic filed a complaint with the European Commission due to the loosening of the rules on the controlled shooting of bears in neighboring Slovakia.

“It’s no wonder that Slovakia went down the path of the Middle Ages, when it was customary to shoot anything that moved in the forest (that was) just a little hairier than a person at the time,” Zoo Director Evgeny Korec said in a statement sent to POLITICO on Thursday, adding that he considered the “mass killing of endangered species to be barbaric.”

“The brown bear is a protected species in the European Union,” he noted. “The EU quite rightly spends the most money on the protection of any species of animals under threat of extinction.

“Slovakia has decided to ignore European legislation,” Korec continued, calling Slovakia’s environment ministry, which is responsible for regulations on bear shooting, a “ministry of reckless extermination.”

Slovakia changes made its rules for shooting bears in May after an increase in attacks on people. To expedite the issuance of bear shooting permits, legislation now allows declare a state of emergency, as in the case of an earthquake or terrorist attack, when a bear approaches a populated area.

“We managed to solve a big legal problem that did not allow shooting a bear even in cases where there was no attack on a person yet. We will no longer have to react after the fact,” Slovak Environment Minister Tomas Taraba said in May. “Shootings (now) will be carried out in the interest of protecting life, health and property of citizens, preventively and in advance.”

Slovak legislation overrides However, EU legislation governing protected species requires a bear to display “problem” behavior before a permit can be obtained to kill it. Taraba told POLITICO previously reported that the Commission approved the Slovak government’s bill in exchange for the country’s support for a nature restoration law. Commission denied that account

Bears have become a hot political topic in Slovakia ahead of this year’s presidential and European Parliament elections, prompting the far-right Slovak National Party, to which Taraba belongs, blame the situation about EU bureaucrats and the bloc’s green rules.

According to Art analysis According to several universities, there are between 1,000 and 1,300 brown bears in Slovakia. Ministry of Environment of Slovakia confirmed by the end of this year will issue about 100 licenses for shooting bears; 86 animals have already been killed.

POLITICO has reached out to the European Commission and Slovakia’s environment ministry for comment.