Story at a glance
- Prince Emanuel von und zu Liechtenstein is accused of killing Arthur, a massive brown bear, on a protected nature reserve in the Carpathian Mountains.
- The Romanian government had granted the prince approval to hunt another bear that had caused damage to farms and was disturbing locals.
- “But in reality, the prince did not kill the problem bear, but a male that lived deep in the woods and had never come close to localities,” environmentalists said.
A prince from the European nation of Liechtenstein has been accused of shooting and killing the largest brown bear in Romania for sport.
Romanian environmental group Agent Green and Austrian NGO VGT alleged in a joint statement Wednesday that Prince Emanuel von und zu Liechtenstein traveled to Romania in March and killed a 17-year-old brown bear named “Arthur” on a protected nature reserve in the Carpathian Mountains.
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The prince, who lives in Austria, had been granted approval by the Romanian government to hunt a female bear that had caused damage to farms and was disturbing locals, according to the organizations
“But in reality, the prince did not kill the problem bear, but a male that lived deep in the woods and had never come close to localities,” the statement said.
“The Arthur bear has been observed for many years by the Agent Green ranger in the area and was recognized as a wild and unusual specimen with the presence of man and the food sources provided by him,” the groups added, noting that Arthur was the largest bear observed in Romania and “probably” the largest in Europe.
While brown bears are protected under Romanian and European Union laws, exceptions can be granted by the government if bears have caused serious damage to farm crops or posed a threat to people. Romania is home to Europe’s largest population of brown bears, with about 6,000.
According to The Associated Press, the prince was granted a four-day hunting permit in March and “harvested” a 17-year-old brown bear for which he reportedly paid $8,400 USD.
Romanian authorities launched an investigation on April 29, reported the news outlet.
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