Slovak government accused of 'shooting the wrong bear' to win votes

A man votes during the first round of the presidential election on March 23. Since no candidate received a majority, a second round will be called. took place on April 6. Photo: Robert Nemethy/Anadolu via Getty Images

Some MPs have used the latest attack as an excuse to call for a relaxation of EU laws protecting large mammals such as bears and wolves.

< p>Rudolf Gulyak, a right-wing MP The Slovak National Party, said: “This is a case where a bear brutally attacked people. One man almost lost an eye.»

A solution must be found to the problem of «excessive» numbers of bears in Slovakia, he said.

Mr Taraba blamed «extremist environmental groups» for promoting bear protection .

Philip Kuffa, the junior environment minister, said “there have never been such unprecedented numbers of bears attacking people in history.”

Environmental groups have refuted claims of a population surge bears.

It is estimated that there are about 1,300 wild bears in Slovakia, most of which live in the Carpathian Mountains.