Richard Collins: Romania tightens hunting rules after largest bear shot

How trophy hunting acts as a form of artificial selection; the genes promoting large size being gradually eliminated

A 17-year-old brown bear in Romania has been shot and killed.

A Washington Post headline on May 7 ran, 'Liechtenstein prince accused of shooting Europe's largest bear.' The brown bear, 'Arthur', lived in Transylvania's Ojdula region. He should have been safe from hunters and vandals, in a protected area of the Carpathians, but he wasn't. The killing occurred in March, but the press got hold of the story only this month.

Brown bears are protected under European law, although trophy-hunters were allowed to shoot bears in Romania prior to  2016, when it became illegal. Rarely, a rogue individual bear attacks livestock or threatens people. In such cases, a permit to kill is issued. Arthur, the 17-year-old giant, was of a retiring disposition. He never caused trouble. When a female bear began presenting problems near Ojdula village, the Romanian authorities decided that she should be killed. Prince Emanuel, 32, who is 16th in line to the Liechtenstein throne and who lives in Austria, was granted a licence to shoot the offending female.  However, it was not the problem animal that was shot, but Arthur.