The Prosecutor's Office attached to the local court in Targu Secuiesc, central Romania, officially announced the opening of a criminal case related to the killing of a trophy bear (Arthur) by a prince from Liechtenstein.

The prosecutors started the criminal investigation in rem regarding the poaching offenses, Mediafax reported. The investigation aims to establish the circumstances in which the bear was shot and killed.

The environmental organizations Agent Green and VGT (Austria) announced that a prince from Austria killed the biggest brown bear in Romania in March, justifying this by a derogation offered by the Romanian Ministry of Environment to eliminate a mother bear that had allegedly caused damages in a village in Covasna county.

Minister of environment Tanczos Barna announced that the regulations would be amended to avoid such deeds in the future. Namely, the authorities will issue the derogation for a limited period of 15 days, and, more importantly, those entitled to shoot the bear subject to derogation will be only the members of the hunting association that receives the document.

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Agent Green)