How The Brown Bear Became Public Enemy Number One In Rural Romania

Recently, in a speech that seems copy-pasted from the likes of Viktor Orban or Erdogan, the leader of the ruling party in Romania, Liviu Dragnea, went on TV to denounce the people protesting against the catastrophic changes he wants to make on the penal and fiscal codes. He called them the “parallel state” that allegedly wants to take control over the country. His plea is also against the NGOs and other forms of association that are trying to fill in the voids left by the state’s dysfunctional institutions.

For instance, different organizations are “translating” the difficult bureaucratic procedures so people can access various services. Others are going to schools to teach students about sexual education, or LGBT rights. One NGO is raising money to build accommodation near the hospital for the parents of children who have cancer, so they can change clothes and get some proper sleep while caring for their loved ones. The point is, when the state is failing at caring for its citizens, people take matters into their own hands.

The same goes for the bears and Transylvanian villagers in this article. In some regions, bears are regularly attacking people and their livestock. Last year, the government banned bear hunting, which is a legit thing to do, but that didn’t stop bears from killing the villagers' sheep. Instead of putting an end to reckless deforestation and of implementing programs that actually protect bears and keep them in their habitat, the politicians just managed to pit the people against the animals, making them the no. 1 enemy that must be fought against by all means. Moreover, such decisions give momentum to people like Harghita's county president, who initiated a vigilante justice movement “in which he offered 'ideas' on how to kill a bear: 'carbide in wax to burn the bear’s stomach, bread soaked in antifreeze, rat poison dipped in honey.'”