Finland's bear population is growing strongly

The government of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Směr) decided on Wednesday to deploy up to fifty soldiers to monitor bears in Slovakia. In early April, Fico's government declared a state of emergency and, due to repeated bear attacks on humans, authorized the extraordinary shooting of 350 bears this year.

According to a recent estimate by the Natural Resources Center, the bear population has grown at a rate of 8 to 10 percent in recent years.

The Slovak government has ordered the deployment of troops to track bears, which have increasingly attacked people in recent months.