Deputy Minister of the Environment Ramūnas Krugelis denies information that the ministry he represents asked hunters to shoot a brown bear that wandered around Vilnius last weekend.
"There was no order to hunt the bear," R. Krugelis said at an extraordinary meeting of the Seimas Environmental Protection Committee on Wednesday.
The deputy minister explained that the consideration of shooting the bear was just part of the preparation for various situations that could occur when trying to catch an animal wandering around the city. According to him, the original plan was to let the bear find its way into the forest on its own, but if that failed, the animal was considered to be put to sleep, and if danger arose, to shoot it.
"Plan C is specifically for the case that there is a danger when putting the animal to sleep, because putting it to sleep is not that easy. Getting within 20-30 meters of it, shooting the drugs more than once - up to three times is necessary - can be a real danger. In that case, we will not wait for the bear to start eating the specialists. We were simply prepared for all eventualities," R. Krugelis assured.
As previously announced, the Seimas Environmental Protection Committee convened an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday to discuss the actions and reactions of the Ministry of the Environment and its subordinate institutions in managing the situation regarding the wandering brown bear.
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.
On Monday, it was reported that the bear was spotted in the village of Purnuškiai, outside the capital, and is continuing to move north.
An extraordinary meeting of the Seimas Environmental Protection Committee is being convened on Wednesday regarding the brown bear that wandered around the capital and its suburbs over the weekend. 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 taken.
Vilius Narkunas (ELTA)
