Slovenia Allows Hunters To Kill Bears, Wolves

Srdjan Zivulovic, PlanetArk 11 Mar 10;

Slovenia will this year allow hunters to kill 75 brown bears and 12 wolves to limit the damage they do to crops and livestock and prevent numbers growing, the environment ministry said on Wednesday.

Slovenia, which has the highest density of brown bears in Europe, has seen the mammals moving closer to villages and cities in search of food.

"Our expert studies show that the population of wolves is on the rise while the population of bears would also be growing without this measure," Mladen Berginc, head of the sector for nature conservation policy, told Reuters.

Last year hunters killed 79 bears and 7 wolves, while damage caused by bears and wolves amounted to some 430,000 euros ($583,500), down from about 450,000 euros in 2008.

Euro zone member Slovenia has between 450 and 500 brown bears, among the highest population for any European country, while the number of wolves is estimated at 70 to 100.

"We want to keep both populations in steady numbers," Berginc said.

Last year a brown bear wandered into the capital Ljubljana. The police caught him and moved him to his natural environment but the same bear was later killed in Austria, close to the Slovenian border.

(Editing by Simon Falush)