Slovak bears are not overpopulated, analysis of DNA samples found. Something else must be looked for behind the incidents – Denník N

For a long time, hunters and conservationists could not agree on how many bears actually live here. Hunters, foresters and some politicians demanded that the rules for shooting them be relaxed. An independent study by a foreign team of scientists was supposed to provide the answers. Researchers from Prague’s Charles University published the first results on Monday, according to which the bear population has been stable for many years and regulates itself. The emotional debate about whether the shooting of more bears should be allowed in Slovakia is calmed by the latest findings of Czech scientists. The Slovak nature protection authorities ordered a count of the brown bear population from them using a scientifically recognized method that uses DNA samples. Now they have published the first findings. Two conclusions are key: First – the brown bear population has been more or less the same for the last seven years. Around a thousand individuals still live in Slovakia. The second – talking about overpopulation of bears is problematic. Everything indicates that nature knows how to regulate the population by itself and does not need the “help” of hunters. Why is this important? Eight bear attacks on humans have already taken place this year. Compared to the past, these are not yet record numbers. The same number of attacks took place in 2021 and 2014. However, the calendar year is not over yet. However, significant media interest caused a part of the public to feel threatened by the bears and to demand the release of their shooting. Some politicians also responded to their call, especially Boris Kollár, the chairman of the parliament and coalition movement We are a family. He and other politicians took up the hunters’ rhetoric that bear game has significantly increased in recent years. They were based on the estimates of the hunters themselves. They counted up to three thousand bears in nature. A more scientifically accurate analysis shows that they greatly overestimated. With the latest data, the debate can focus on other factors that can cause bear incidents. This article is exclusive content for Denník N subscribers. Are you a subscriber? Log in