Of the total compensations paid by the Romanian state for the damage caused by wild animals, more than 99% were caused by bears and wolves. The list is followed by beavers, lynxes and bison.
The bear causes the most damage Photo: AV
Ursul continues to be the authoritative leader in terms of damages produced on the territory of Romania. In 2023, the National Environmental Protection Agency (ANPM) awarded compensation in the amount of 13,190,524.56 lei for a number of 3,346 files.
Over 84% are compensations paid for damage caused by bears (11,085,361.32 lei), 15.45% by wolves (2,038,458.27 lei), and the rest (66,704.97 lei) by other species – beavers, laugh, bison.
It is about the compensations granted to the population, in accordance with the provisions of GD no. 3/2023, for the damage caused by wild animals to agricultural crops, forestry and domestic animals, but also for the damage caused either to motor vehicles resulting from traffic accidents, or to natural persons.
“The largest compensations paid in the period 2023-2024 were in Mureș County, in the amount of 2,574,535 lei for the damage caused by the brown bear species to domestic animals and agricultural cropsEugen Ioan Cozma, vice president of the National Agency for Environmental Protection, said.
And beavers began to cause problems for people, with several people receiving compensation for damage caused by these animals.
Damage of half a million lei in Argeș
Significant damage was also caused in Argeș county. “In 2023, there were 251 people harmed, of which 233 by bear specimens and 18 by wolves. For the year 2023, the damages had a value of 509,158 lei“, reported APM Argeș.
Bears also create problems in Argeș Foto AV
The damage caused by the bear was 469,542 lei, and that of the wolf had a value of 39,616 lei. In 2023, in Argeș County, the highest compensation was 19,650 lei, and the lowest was 75 lei, in both cases affecting agricultural crops.
How compensation is awarded for damage caused by wild animals
The ascertainment and evaluation of the damage is done only at the written request of the damaged owner or the legal representative. The request is submitted and registered at the administrative-territorial unit (UAT) on the territory of which the damage occurred, within a maximum of 48 hours from the date of its detection.
The assessment of the damage will be carried out by a commission made up of three people: one representative each of the UAT, the County Agency for Environmental Protection/the public authority responsible for hunting and the County Directorate for Agriculture.
The damaged owner or his legal representative must be present when the damage is discovered. The owners of domestic animals have the obligation to present, during the commission meeting, documents to prove the fulfillment of the obligations for the prevention of damage that can be caused by wild animals.
For example, owners have obligations to ensure the protection of domestic animals grazing, to shelter domestic animals only in fenced and guarded places at night, etc.
The determination of the compensation amount is carried out by the commission.
