Slovenian Agriculture Minister Calls for New Brown Bear Culling Decision

Agriculture Minister Janez Cigler Kralj welcomed the administrative court’s ruling that rejected a lawsuit against the permit to cull 206 brown bears. The minister warned that the brown‑bear population in Slovenia now exceeds the sustainable threshold of about 800 individuals, a figure that experts cite as the long‑term management limit.

He noted that the postponement of the planned cull for 2025‑2026 has further increased the population, raising the risk of damage to livestock, beekeeping, fences and other farm infrastructure. The minister urged the Environment and Spatial Planning Ministry to prepare a new culling decision for 2027 and emphasized the need for “responsible, scientifically based and timely” population management that protects both the species and agricultural interests. The call focuses on the regions of Kočevje, Pivka, Ilirska Bistrica, Brkini and the broader Dinaric area where conflicts have intensified.