Hunters in Romania have been given permission to shoot a bear after it committed a series of raids on village homes.
Jozsef Benke, a local director of the Hunting and Fishing Association, said the brown bear, aged about five, has smashed windows and broken wooden doors in the remote village of Suseni.
He said the bear sometimes broke into kitchens while occupants were sleeping, and that the beast had recently helped itself to sugar, candies and lard.
Jozsef Benke, a local director of the Hunting and Fishing Association, said the brown bear, aged about five, has smashed windows and broken wooden doors in the remote village of Suseni. Pictured: A file image of a Eurasian brown bear in Romania
Benke, who received the hunting approval today, even claimed the bear had consumed locally produced brandy.
He also said the bear had broken into other houses in the area during four nights of raids.
‘The bear entered three houses in one night, and broke a house’s window in another night,’ Benke said, describing one of the raids to Mediafax.
‘It was a situation where he entered a cellar of a house, and found a bottle of sour cherry brandy.
‘He opened it, drank it, and then ate the blueberries, then fell asleep in the forest.’
In Buzau county, meanwhile, a bear reportedly stole a 23-stone pig from a home during a nighttime break-in.
Benke, who received the hunting approval today, even claimed the bear had consumed locally produced brandy. Pictured: Harghita County in Romania, home to about 1,000 bears
Last year, 17 bear attacks were reported in Harghita, in central Romania, which is home to about 1,000 bears.
Romania has between 5,000 and 6,000 wild bears.