Municipalities have a key role in preventing conflicts between people and bears, emphasized Robert Gatzka in an interview with PAP. In his opinion, the lack of matching of systemic waste management and education causes animals to be attracted to human habitations, which increases the risk of dangerous situations.
The investigation conducted by the District Prosecutor's Office in Sanok after the death of a 58-year-old woman near Płonna (Bukowsko commune), who – according to the autopsy – was attacked by a bear while collecting antlers, once again draws attention to the problem of human relations with large predators. As experts emphasize, what is crucial is not the presence of animals, but the way humans organize space – especially at the municipal level.
– Man is primarily responsible for harmonious coexistence, and he must take into account the biology of the bear species – Robert Gatzka, a biologist and naturalist from the Bieszczady Fauna Protection Park Association, told PAP. As he pointed out, the bear is an opportunist, has all its senses acute, especially its sense of smell, and will always choose the most easily available food – even if it is waste.
We are the ones who “invite” bears to the village
According to the expert, the basic obligation of municipalities is to create such conditions that the animal “would have no reason to come” to the village. The education of residents is crucial, but – as Gatzka emphasized – it cannot end with a warning message.
It's not enough to say, “Be careful, there's a bear.” We need to explain how to live in such a place, how to protect garbage and how not to turn our own backyard into a dining room for wild animals, he noted.
The second, equally important, pillar is well-designed waste management. As Robert Gatzka pointed out, sometimes relatively simple changes are enough to significantly reduce the problem. He mentioned the example of the tourist town of Olchowiec, which has almost no indigenous inhabitants, but consists of summer houses visited by their owners on weekends.
– Garbage used to be collected there once every two weeks, on Thursdays. But people left on Sunday and left their bags. For several days, the waste lay outside and simply “invited” bears, he described. He added that the regulations state that waste must be put out on the day of collection, but the reality was different. – And here the commune reacted, they changed the collection schedule and started collecting the garbage every week on Monday morning first – he explained.
After changing the schedule – collection on Monday mornings, every week – the number of bear visits, or “feasts” on the waste, decreased significantly. – This is a very simple example showing that the problem often does not result from animal behavior, but from the mismatch of the system to people's real lives – he added.
The key to safety is bear-proof garbage cans
The expert also drew attention to seemingly small but important elements, such as garbage bins at bus stops, tables and viewpoints. – If there is a garbage can, people will use it. And if the bear can open it, he will return there again and againbut he will be there regularly – he noted.
The solutions include: bear-resistant containers, the cost of which – as he indicated – is approximately PLN 2.5-3 thousand. zloty. He added that municipalities can benefit from the support of WWF Polska, which co-finances or provides such security.
The argument that “there is no money” is often a simplification. This money is there, maybe not in the commune's budget, but it can be obtained – you just have to want it and take prevention seriously – said Robert Gatzka.
Culling the problem will not solve it
In the region, mainly in the Cisna commune, other solutions are also being tested: electric fences, metal waste boxes and large containers mounted in the ground. As Gatzka pointed out, some of them – especially electric shepherds and special boxes – are already working, although they require consistent implementation.
The expert emphasized that cooperation between local governments and scientists and practitioners is crucial. – Too often we hear simple phrases like “there are too many bears.” But nature doesn't work that way. These are complex processes and without knowledge it is really difficult to make good decisions, he noted.
He also drew attention to the need to distinguish two types of events: bear visits to towns and accidental encounters in the forest. – What happened in Płonna was a tragic event in the animal's natural habitat. This has nothing to do with whether bears come to the village, emphasized Robert Gatzka.
“Antler collectors are at highest risk.”
He added that antler collectors are particularly vulnerable to dangerous encounters with bears, as they often move quietly and enter dense thickets. – To an animal, someone who is sneaking looks like a threat. So if we want to avoid such a meeting, we should do exactly the opposite – be heard, he emphasized.
The expert also reminded about examples of good practices, such as the SMS warning system for residents used in the Cisna commune, which allows informing about a real threat without scaring tourists. As he explained, this solution involves directly transmitting messages to residents – e.g. about the appearance of a bear in a specific town or area – thanks to which the information goes exactly where it should, instead of being published generally, e.g. on social media.
– This works much better than posting a photo of a bear on Facebook with the caption “be careful.” Residents receive a specific signal, and at the same time there is no unnecessary panic or deterring tourists, he noted.
He added that such a system allows you to react quickly and adequately to the situation, and at the same time builds residents' awareness and teaches them how to behave in the event of an animal appearing near buildings.
He emphasized that the actions of local governments must be long-term. – Even if we remove one problematic bear today, another one will appear next year if it still has easy access to food. This is not a problem that can be “closed” with one decision, he said.
According to Gatzka, only a systemic approach – combining education, sensible waste management and real cooperation with experts – can reduce the risk of conflicts. – If we don't do this, there will simply be more such situations. Because the bear will always go where it is easier, he concluded.
Mira Suchodolska (PAP)
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