Slovakia calls for culling hundreds of bears

Slovakia approved on Wednesday a plan to allow the killing of 350 bears, as Environment Minister Taraba said bear attacks on humans are on the rise. The move comes after the remains of a 59-year-old man were discovered in central Slovakia on Sunday. Authorities later determined he was mauled by a bear.

The brown bear population in Slovakia's forests is estimated to be around 1,300. A state of emergency has been called in 55 of the country's 72 counties over "undesirable" bear presence, which allows the Environment Ministry to issue permission for the cull of the animals. Last year, attacks by bears on humans reached 1,900, the government said, with officials allowing the culling of 144 bears as a result.