The Slovak government is allowing unprecedented culling of bears, leading to a significant decline in their population, while environmentalists raise concerns over the impact of such actions.
In Slovakia, bear hunting has reached alarming levels since the current government took office. In 2025, the Ministry of the Environment approved 61 exceptions permitting the culling of 276 bears, a stark comparison to the 10 bears killed by intervention teams in 2023, and historically lower numbers of eight and nine in the previous years. The rise in the number of permits issued has raised significant wildlife conservation concerns, particularly about the rapid decline in bear populations.
According to data from the non-governmental organization My sme les, which relies on official state wildlife conservation data, the bear population in Slovakia has decreased by 383 individuals over two years. This figure includes bears lost to traffic accidents, while data on those killed by poachers remain unaccounted for. Former head of the intervention team, Jaroslav Slašťan, estimated the number of illegally hunted bears at around 100 annually. A recent study by Charles University in Prague conservatively placed the bear population in Slovakia at between 1012 and 1275 in 2023.
Despite losing a legal battle regarding special permits for bear culling, the Ministry of the Environment remains committed to continuing its hunting practices. The ongoing discourse surrounding bear management in Slovakia highlights the tension between conservation efforts and government policies, with activists emphasizing the need for sustainable wildlife management practices to prevent further endangerment of the species.
