Slovakia has authorized the consumption of bears meat, a decision condemned Wednesday by the NGO We Are Forest which denounces “state butchers offering protected animal meat” and promoting poaching.
“If the State sends the message that the protection indifferent, then the poachers will only have to make any sanctions,” said ecologist Marian Hletko, reacting to a decision announced on Monday.
The Secretary of State for the Environment Filip Kuffa, from the far -right SNS party, said on Facebook that the state would offer animals slaughtered for sale, “because bears is edible”.
“Fear of going to the woods”
A decision “without tail or head” for We Are Forest, the ministry supposed to ensure the protection of the Plantigrade cannot be transformed into a commercial slaughterhouse. This announcement follows the green light given last month to The slaughter of 350 animals by the coalition government between different nationalist training courses.
In April, Slovakia had declared the state of emergency in most regions due to the “undesirable” presence of more than 1,300 animals, after the reporting of attacks. “We cannot live in a country where people are afraid of going to the woods,” said Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Their slaughter is only authorized in the event of damage to material goods or interactions, and only if there is no other solutionlike the movement of the animal. According to We Are Forest, 92 bears were killed in 2024 in this member country of the European Union, which has 5.4 million inhabitants, and 52 others were killed during road accidents or by poachers.
Brown bears are protected in Europe, but there are exemptions for hunting and Slovenia, among others, also authorizes the consumption of bears meat.
The Slovak government promises the establishment of a certification proving that the animal has been driven out in accordance with the law in force. Meat must also be treated to prevent the spread of parasites.
