Bears are apparently not overpopulated in Slovakia. In the western Carpathians there are an estimated 1056 individuals. This according to the results of a preliminary DNA analysis of more than 2,000 samples of bear scat and hair, which was carried out by the Slovak State Nature Conservancy with independent experts from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Charles University in Prague. "Based on the first results of the study, in comparison with the results of the previous genetic census, it can be concluded that there are probably no significant changes in the size of the brown bear population in Slovakia," the Slovak State Nature Conservancy announced. Dušan Karaska, Director General of the Slovak State Nature Conservation, noted that although there are no significant changes in bear numbers, other factors are in play. "What has changed significantly is not the number of bears, but their behaviour. Unsecured containers, baiting sites, corn cultivation in foothill areas, and the urbanisation of the natural environment have caused bears to stay increasingly in close proximity to human dwellings, and to lose their shyness," Karaska said, adding that all these factors increase the risk of human encounters with Slovakia's largest carnivore. Conservationists collected a total of 2,179 DNA samples, mostly scat and fur, to determine the brown bear's population level. The collection was carried out in two phases, from 1 September 2019 to 30 April 2020 and from 1 September 2020 to 30 April 2021. The samples were obtained in a non-invasive way, in which no animals were disturbed, the state nature conservation service noted.
Source: TASR
