Slovak government ‘shoots wrong bear’ in effort to win votes in presidential election

SLOVAKIA’S ruling party has been accused of falsely claiming to have killed a rampaging bear to boost its chances in next week’s presidential election.

“A bear that injured five in Liptovsky Mikulas was successfully shot dead yesterday. A biometrics drone was used to identify it,” said Tomas Taraba, the environment minister.

But yesterday, opposition politicians insisted that the bear that was tracked down and killed after a 10-day hunt was much smaller than the one that struck fear into the inhabitants of the town in the foothills of the Tatra mountains.

The issue of bear attacks has become politically charged in Slovakia and opposition MPS accused the populist government of rushing to shoot the animal to win votes.

Michal Weizik, a member of the opposition Progressive Slovakia party, said that documents drawn up by the team that shot the bear showed that it was a female that weighed 67kg.

But the bear that ran through the streets on March 17 had been a large male weighing as much as 100kg. Mr Weizik said he was certain that the authorities had shot the wrong animal.

He demanded that Mr Taraba disclose exactly how the animal was identified before it was shot. Mr Weizik wanted to know “who – and on what legal basis – issued the order to kill her”. A 10-year-old girl was among those injured in the attack.

Two people had to receive hospital treatment for wounds inflicted by the animal.

There has been an increase in bear attacks in Slovakia in recent years.

There were eight incidences in 2021 but around 20 in 2023, according to the environment ministry, and there has been a recent fatality.

Earlier this month, a 31-year-old woman from Belarus died after being chased by a bear and falling off a cliff.

The government has drawn up guidelines that make it easier for rangers, hunters and police to shoot bears if they pose a risk.