A young female brown bear sparked nationwide attention after wandering into a wooded suburb of Vilnius , marking the first such urban incursion in years, but hunters refused to follow the government’s order and shoot the animal, according to AP News.
For two days, the two-year-old animal ambled through neighbourhoods, crossed highways, and explored backyards. The bear ventured within 4–5 kilometres of the city centre before authorities issued a permit for its lethal elimination, a decision that provoked immediate backlash from conservationists and hunters alike.
The Lithuanian Association of Hunters and Fishermen refused the government’s directive, citing the species’ critically low population. Association administrator Ramutė Juknytė defended the bear’s behaviour:
She was scared but not aggressive. She just didn’t know how to escape the city but she didn’t do anything bad.
The organisation estimates only 5–10 brown bears remain nationwide, though precise figures are unconfirmed.
Facing public outcry, Deputy Environment Minister Ramūnas Krugelis reframed the kill permit as “purely precautionary,” telling broadcaster LRT it was intended for scenarios where the bear threatened public safety.
Hunters instead advocated sedation and relocation, a proposal rendered moot when the bear independently retreated from the urban area. Juknytė confirmed the animal was spotted 60 kilometres from Vilnius, peacefully foraging on corn in forested terrain.
The incident highlights the fragile status of brown bears in Lithuania. Once common regionally, they were eradicated in the 19th century due to hunting and habitat loss. Protected under Lithuanian and EU law as a “rare and vulnerable species,” the bear’s escape to safety represents a symbolic victory for conservationists amid escalating human-wildlife conflicts.
