Slovak Politician With Gaps In Education

    -   man in the right place ?

Minister of environment of Slovak republic Ján Budaj revealed gaps in education

when he said in a live TV show on TV Markíza " Bears do not kill people, they are vegetarians."

You may ask why he decided to speak about such dangerous topic. This happened because minister reacted to the question

of viewer Pavel who asked him how long bears will kill people in Slovakia. Minister then continued

with his explanation: " If an accident happens, it is certainly more special than the hunters have among themselves. "

From wikipedia:

Brown bear
The brown bear is one of the most omnivorous animals in the world and has been recorded as consuming the greatest variety of foods of any bear.Throughout life, this species is regularly curious about the potential of eating virtually any organism or object that they encounter. Food that is both abundant and easily accessed or caught is preferred. Their jaw structure has evolved to fit their dietary habits. Their diet varies enormously throughout their differing areas based on opportunity.----  There are an average of two fatal attacks by bears per year in North America.
 

Unfortunately, the situation is not so easy. In Slovakia  last month they registered the third attack of a bear on a person. The attacked escaped without serious injuries, but in June by our eastern neighbors, the beast has already killed one person.
In town Žiar nad Hronom they have experience with the presence of bears even within the city limits.

In central Slovakia, bear attacks have recently multiplied, and in the Podpoľany region, people meet these animals on the streets of villages and towns. That's why the locals started protesting a few days ago.
According to the  mayors of Podpolanie, however, the state does not act enough even after these events. They are therefore going to turn to the European Union. The deputy chairman of the Banská Bystrica region (= Central Slovakia) also said at the protest that the demonstrations would continue. In the game there is also a protest in Bratislava right in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of the environment. The locals are calling for a controlled shooting.

People call for easier regulation of the number of bears.. While in 2010 the High Tatras recorded 97 reports of bears, in the year 2019 the number has climbed to more than 700 cases. Most often these are the Tatra parts of Starý and Nový Smokovec, as well as Tatranská Lomnica. 8 years ago, scientists found that about 1,200 bears live in Slovakia. State forests say it is already more than 2,500, but conservationists do not agree.
However if we consider that the whole territory of Slovakia is  49 000 sq.kms and the Tatra Mountains (High and Low Tatras together) occupy an area of 785 square kilometres bear does not have a lot of space for living though they do not live in the Tatra mountains only.

Some of them - about 1-5 individuals - crossed the border to Czech Republic in the last years but when they found they are the only bear repesentants on our territory they maybe decided to return back to Slovakia. 

In May a 44-year-old man suffered serious injuries to his face and chest, who was attacked by a bear  in central Slovakia, along with another person. Zuzana Hopjaková, a spokeswoman for Air-Transport Europe, which operates a helicopter rescue service, informed about it. This is at least the third human-bear clash in the country in May 2022, and the incident has renewed the debate over a possible regulation of the number of the protected beast.

   Map of Slovakia - you can see the mountain parts are not so vast

Hunters and foresters claim that the largest beast living in the country has overpopulated. The environment guards disagree. Currently, selected individuals may only be shot on licence.

Bear clashes with humans go on  in Slovakia. And the animals evidently decided to continue their activity. In another accident the bear even chased a group of people, according to Markíza television, including employees of the Ministry of the Environment and conservationists.

                                            Perhaps some bears outperform current politics in intelligence   

                    How many more times do I have to tell you I'm a vegetarian !

                                                 * * *

Commenting on the Minister of the Environment Ján Budaj remarked one of the web users:

" I do not understand why he is just a minister! With this statement, he clearly met all the requirements directly for the Prime Minister! "

                     Thanks for reading and watch out for bears

                                                                                    Margaret