Residents of the Sălătruc neighborhood in the town of Dărmănești, Bacău County, have been living in fear for the past month due to a large bear that descends into the area almost every evening. The animal, a male weighing over 200 kilograms, has been captured on thermal imaging cameras entering properties and attacking domestic animals.
In just a few weeks, the bear has broken into more than 10 households, causing significant damage. On Thursday night alone, two Ro-Alert emergency warnings were issued to alert the population. The most recent incident occurred the same night, when the bear killed a sheep, according to TVR.
“A few days ago, a resident caught it in his yard and chased it away. Last night, it was right here, and two hours later, it went further down the road and took a sheep from another person’s property,” said Ioan Călugăru, a gamekeeper with the ‘Colț Alb’ Hunting Association.
Local authorities, police officers, and gendarmes remain on high alert, but efforts to drive the animal away have so far proven ineffective.
“We’ve done everything within our power to scare the bear off. Unfortunately, the measures don’t seem to work—it comes back just half an hour later,” said Constantin Toma, the mayor of Dărmănești.
Wildlife specialists point out that in such cases, the legal framework allows for the removal of dangerous specimens.
“Emergency Ordinance 81/2021 allows for the extraction of bears that repeatedly enter residential areas and pose a threat to human life and property. Mayors need to be aware of this legal option,” explained Radu Ghidău, a legal adviser for the Federation of Hunting Associations in Romania.
This is far from an isolated case. According to the Ministry of the Environment, 464 emergency calls regarding bear incidents were registered in 2024 alone, but only 27 animals were shot. In the same year, the state paid over 21 million lei in damages caused by wild animals.
Until a concrete decision is made regarding the bear’s removal from Dărmănești, residents remain afraid to leave their homes after dark, living in constant fear of another attack.
