A new census in Romania estimates the bear population at 13,000, up from 8,000. The study, conducted by Romania's Forestry Research Institute, faced criticism for its data collection methods. Environmental expert Cristian Papp from WWF expressed skepticism about the genetic census conducted over three years. Minister of the Environment, Mircea Fechet, plans to request the European Commission to lift the brown bear's protected status, citing the need for intervention due to rising trophy hunting quotas. Teljes cikk (Euronews.com)