Romania to step up cull of brown bears after hiker killed

MPs approve cull of 481 bears this year, up from 220 last year, to control overpopulation' of protected species

Romania's parliament has approved the culling of almost 500 bears this year in an effort to control the overpopulation" of the protected species after a deadly attack on a hiker sparked nationwide outcry.

The country is home to 8,000 brown bears, according to the environment ministry, Europe's largest brown bear population outside Russia.