Seimas Speaker Saulius Skvernelis has been unsparing in his criticism of the country's responsible institutions and the Ministry of the Environment, which he says failed to respond adequately when a brown bear wandered into the capital last weekend. According to the politician, it seems extremely incompetent that the ministry seriously considered the possibility of shooting an animal that was wandering around residents' yards.
"I am surprised by the decisions of the Ministry of the Environment, when instead of doing their job properly... I think we should be happy that bears are returning to Lithuania after a break of several hundred years, and they do not pose any danger or aggression today," S. Skvernelis told Žinių radijus.
"She was wandering around Vilnius not because she was looking for prey, but because she found herself in such an environment. Unfortunately, people and institutions were unable to help her manage that stress," added the Speaker of the Seimas.
According to him, it is obvious that there was no proper response to this situation, and the work of the institutions raises a number of questions.
"That search for a bear in the capital is truly tragicomic," the politician summed up.
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.
Ben Brunal (ELTA)
