Prince of Liechtenstein Illegally Shoots Rare Bear in Romania

Arthur, Romania's largest known bear, was killed last month by prince Emanuel of Liechtenstein.

The prince had originally paid 7,000 euros to shoot a mother bear with cubs which had allegedly caused damage last year in a little village in Covasna, Romania. Instead, the prince took aim at a rare specimen which had never been known to approach human settlements.

According to Agent Green, a Romanian NGO whose main focus is environmental conservation, Arthur was 17 years old and was the largest brown bear to have ever been observed on Romanian territory, and, very likely, the largest bear alive in the European Union.

Gabriel Paun, chairman of the NGO, strongly believes that this is a case of intentional poaching and that it is very strange that the prince had mistaken ''the largest male in the forest'' for a female with cubs. ''It's clear as day that the prince did not come here (i.e. to Romania) to solve the locals' (bear) problem, but to kill this bear and to take home the biggest trophy for his wall. '' concluded Mr. Paun in an official press release.

The European brown bear is included in Appendix II of The Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention) as a strictly protected species. Hunting derogations are obtained only in extreme cases and after careful consideration.

The case is currently being looked into by relevant authorities but, unfortunately, Romania has a history of turning a blind to eye to trophy-hunting. Past blood sport aficionados, such as prince Emanuel of Liechtenstein, have been known to use bribery as a means of illegally gaining access to protected species and have successfully eluded prosecution owing to their status or connections.

As a Romanian with no power of my own against a deeply rotten system that has no regards for our natural treasures, I urge other citizens of the world to help me spread the word about this appalling deed and to hopefully get His Royal Highness to think twice before taking advantage of high privilege and money to get away with poaching.