An extraordinary meeting of the Seimas Environmental Protection Committee is being convened on Wednesday regarding a brown bear that wandered around the capital and its surroundings over the weekend.
"The committee meeting is being convened in response to a situation where a wild animal (brown bear) has been roaming the city and district of Vilnius for three days, posing a threat to both people's and its own safety," the Seimas Conservative faction said in a statement.
The meeting is intended to discuss the actions and reactions of the Ministry of the Environment and its subordinate institutions in managing the situation, as well as the decisions made.
ELTA reminds that over the weekend, a bear was first spotted wandering near Vilnius, in Avižieniai, and later in the city itself. on Ukmergė streetOn Sunday, it was reported that the bear had left Vilnius, but was later spotted in Riešė. On Monday evening, it was reported that the bear had left the capital.
Because of this incident Vilnius district Mayor Robertas Duchnevičius appealed to the Ministry of the Environment, requesting that an operating mechanism be established that would provide for how relevant institutions and municipalities should react in similar cases.
The institutions themselves admitted that they did not properly communicate the actions taken to ensure the safety of the public and the animal.
According to Vilnius City Mayor Valdas Benkunskas, in order to control the situation, it was decided to use thermal imaging drones, video surveillance cameras operated by the municipal company JUDU, and select available drones suitable for searching for the animal.
Austėa Paulauskaitė (ELTA)
