The Slovakian government has approved the controversial plan to sell the meat of the protected brown bears.
According to BBC, the populist approval to sell brown bear meat came a month after the cabinet allowed the culling of 325 bears, which is a quarter of Slovakia’s brown bear population, after fatal attacks.
It is worth noting that brown bears are on the list of a "near threatened" species in the EU by the World Conservation Union.
As per the government plan, the organisations under the environment ministry will start selling brown bear meat from the next week after meeting all the legal and hygiene conditions.
The meat of the culled brown bears will be sold to the public to prevent waste, as the State Minister Filip Kuffa said that previously it was wasteful to throw away bears after killing.
“We will release every shot animal that meets certain conditions for consumption. Why? Because bear meat is edible," he added.
Brown bears: A political issue in Slovakia
Brown bears became a political issue in the country after multiple encounters with humans, including fatal attacks.
Slovakia, which has an estimated 13,000 brown bears, is ranked second after Romania for the highest number of attacks.
Last month a man was mauled to death by a brown bear while walking in a forest in Central Slovakia.
The incident prompted an announcement from Prime Minister Robert Fico, who ordered the cull of 350 brown bears, a number equivalent to the species' entire population in Spain, saying, "We can't live in a country where people are afraid to go into the woods."
The Solavakian govermnet claims that the overpopulation of the brown bear is the reason behind the attack, while environmental groups and critics argued that authorities should focus on the prevention.
