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Romania is well
known for its large bear population. In one of the suburbs of the
city of Brasov - a city nestling on the edges of the Carpathian
mountains - some bears have learnt to exploit human food sources,
including garbage. These bears have become something of a local
attraction with both tourists and locals watching them, and even
hand feeding them. This phenomena has been going on for over a
decade - with a remarkable absence of conflict. On one hand it
provides an example of coexistence potential. However, the absence
of conflict has been a matter of luck. These circumstances with
bears moving among apartment blocks and associating people with food
are a recipe for disaster - are regarded as an indication of poor
bear conservation practices. In October 2004 two people were killed
by bears in the vicinity. Although the circumstances are not clear -
rabies may have been involved - such events remind us that of the
potentially serious consequences of not taking bears seriously. |
