A protected species on your plate
02 June 2025
Slovakia's populist government loves to turn whatever it can into a political issue. Most recently, it did so with the country's brown bear population – by allowing the reselling of shot bears' meat in restaurants for consumption.
Sound wild? There's a backstory: Following some deadly encounters between bears and people, last month, the government came up with a plan to shoot 350 of Slovakia's approximately 1300 bears. 27 experts from nine countries called for renouncing the measure, fearing the impact on the stability of brown bear populations not only in Slovakia but also across Europe.
Bear meat is not commonly consumed in Europe, with only a few exceptions. Not only are bears protected in most European countries, their meat also poses a health risk due to the possible transmission of Trichinella, a parasite that causes illness in humans. The meat must be cooked at least at 75°C to be reliably safe.
 | Tamara Kanuchova In November last year, there was a scandal about a restaurant selling bear meat illegally. Back then, exemptions were unthinkable, but as of 31 May, there were already four approvals for the sale of bear meat. Seeing the growing number of requests for shooting the protected species and endangering their natural population regeneration does not really increase my appetite. |
〉https://www.europeancorrespondent.com/story?s=busy-fighting-four-legged-enemies-of-the-state">Our reporting on bears from 2024
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