What is it about?
This research focuses on the perception of residents and tourists from the tourist resorts in Prahova Valley, Romania, on human–bear interactions. Employing innovative mixed methods, including questionnaires, interviews, newspaper analysis, and consideration of the local toponymy, including bear-related names and souvenirs, we aim to highlight the extent to which a posthumanist attitude is evident in the region.
Featured Image
Photo by anthony renovato on Unsplash
Why is it important?
The sustained appearance of bears is attributed to habitat invasion through deforestation, road construction, residential neighborhoods, and tourist infrastructure. Ambiguity arises from the presence of food sources and voluntary feeding both by locals and tourists. The mass media initially heightened fear and panic during the onset of human–bear interactions but later adopted a more tolerant tone regarding the bear’s presence in tourist resorts, reflecting an openness to the posthumanist approach in Prahova Valley.
Perspectives
A successful adaptive coexistence requires a posthumanist vision, overcoming anthropocentrism in a landscape altered by human activities, supported by bear management programs in Bucegi Natural Park, and conservation efforts in Prahova Valley in a landscape altered by people.
Dr Remus Cretan
west university of Timisoara
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Living with Bears in Prahova Valley, Romania: An Integrative Analysis, Animals, February 2024, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/ani14040587.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
