Bear attacks on people in Slovakia and Slovenia have contributed to a more intense debate in Poland about regulating large carnivore populations and the possibility of culling bears. This is according to an analysis by Poland’s National Research and Academic Computer Network (NASK), cited by the Warsaw correspondent of TASR based on information from the PAP news agency.
According to NASK analyst Katarzyna Lipková, the increased intensity of discussions about bears in 2025 was largely connected to cases of attacks on people in Slovakia and Slovenia. “The incidents sparked a debate about bear culling, which was widely discussed on social media, including in Poland,” she said.
The NASK analysis noted that between 2024 and 2026, portrayals of the brown bear and gray wolf as immediate threats to humans became more common in Poland’s information space. According to the center, these narratives may have been part of efforts by hunters to gain public support for reducing populations of protected species, as well as by politicians seeking to increase their own popularity.
Lipková added that following discussions triggered by events abroad, attention also turned to Poland’s Bieszczady Mountains, which border Slovakia’s Poloniny region. In July last year, authorities approved the culling of three problem bears in the village of Cisna if there was a threat to human life. However, after protests from conservationists and activists who argued that attacks could also be prevented through other methods, the authorization was later withdrawn.
Experts interviewed by PAP warned against using individual incidents for political purposes. According to them, tragic or conflict-filled encounters between humans and wild animals often become arguments in favor of culling, even though such measures do not eliminate the underlying causes of conflicts and only provide a temporary solution.
Source: TASR
