After a teen's gruesome death over the summer, the Romanian government overturned the national ban on bear hunting.
Diana Cazacu was nineteen years old when she was killed by a bear in Bucharest's Bucegi Mountains. Diana's deceased corpse was eventually found at the body of a ravine by rescue teams. Standing over her lifeless body was the bear who had killed her. A rescuer shot and killed the animal, after it lunged toward the group.
Diana's death was a brutal one. According to the Sun, she had tried to run from the bear while hiking. Unfortunately, the teen was grabbed, bitten, and clawed at, before being tossed down the mountain.
Romania itself is well-known as a place where bear attacks are commonplace. The Eastern European country makes up a jaw-dropping 45% of all bear attacks on Europe. Moreover, many of these attacks involve farmers, shepherds, and cattle herders, as they try to protect their livestock from the dangerous bears.
Being that hunting bears was outlawed in Romania in for good in 2016 when a national ban was signed into law. The result has been an overcrowding of bears within the country. Such has led bears to become more aggressive in their pursuit of food. Hungry bears are more dangerous than well-fed bears. Likewise, in the pursuit of food, bears are being pushed closer to civilization.
In 2023, Romanian authorities received over 7,500 emergency calls regarding bear sightings. That number of calls doubled the number from the year prior. Moreover, according to the country's environment ministry, there are some 8,000-plus brown bears roaming the Romanian forest lands.
Romania Legalizes Bear Hunting Years After It Was Banned Nationally After Teen Was Brutally Killed In July
Notably, the Romanian government has made it legal for 481 bears to be hunted and killed within the country over the next 18 months. Such is certainly a start at building a more healthy bear population in the country.
Some activists have pushed back on the now-legalized killing. PETA has been vocally displeased with the Romanian government's decision. Regardless, after this summer's tragic death of Miss Cazuca, there is plenty of reason for the Romanian government to stick to its guns, and cull some bears.
