While the brown bear is a strictly protected species, permits may be issued in exceptional cases for the culling of a specific animal, Deputy Environment Minister Urszula Zielińska told Polish lawmakers last week.
"Regional environmental protection agencies may authorize deterrence measures, capturing or relocation while the national agency may, in exceptional cases, also approve an intervention cull," she said.
"Such permits are being issued, which means the state does have mechanisms in place to respond to specific dangerous situations," she added.
Fatal bear attacks in Central Europe are rare, but recent months have seen a noticeable increase in human-bear conflicts—especially in the Carpathian Mountain range.
Encounters have surged due to growing bear populations, shrinking habitats and animals venturing into populated areas for food, experts say.
(mo/gs)
Click on the audio player above for a report by Michał Owczarek.