Earlier quoted context omitted.
The "surprise“ comes from the fact this was historically a solved problem. People simply killed the annoying predators and nuisance animals. We are in a transition state of cultural values and expectations. People expect to being free from annoyances because that was the norm for hundreds if not thousands of years. The rules have changed around how we treat animals, but people have not internalized all the resulting…
Historically there were much less humans, and more wilderness for animals. Applying the historical solutions in modern day would mean extinction of species in many places.
Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
151–160 of 235 posts
Re: Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
#152Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pensions in Romania are a joke, ask your relatives that recently retired. Can I remind you that out of the immediate survivors of the Colectiv fire, 70% of them contracted hospital-acquired infections? (Which were conveniently overlooked by the coroner) Private healthcare is a hoax that most employers can and will redirect their contribution to, further increasing the hole in which the public sector is getting into.…
> I wonder why home ownership is that high, and what policy lead to that. Post-Soviet privatization? If I had to guess...
Re: Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
#153>Several years ago, 80 bison were reintroduced two centuries after their disappearance from these territories... I had no idea there were bison in Europe. The provided hyperlink leads to an article about bison being reintroduced in Mexico. Here is an appropriate article about bison being rewilded in the Southern Carpathians: https://rewildingeurope.com/blog/free-roaming-bison-populati... .
I’ve read about them after getting introduced to: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Żubrówka
Re: Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
Better than who out of curiosity?
The ones that get slammed the most that I've seen are probably the Brits, Russians, and Chinese. Apparently Brits are notorious for getting super drunk and fucking around. Russians are known as being really entitled and rude (and sometimes aggressive IIRC), and there's Chinese tourists also being rude and ignoring rules in huge packs. The stereotype of American tourists is that they're ignorant and loud (and bad dres…
The part about Russians being more aggressive (I'd even say more likely to credibly threaten violence) might have to do with the level of corruption in Russia making it more likely for you to get away with even violent crime if you can afford it. At least this would match what Russian ex-pats I've met say about their home country.
I'd say American tourists in Europe are generally relatively well-behaved because they're conscious of how they might be perceived (remember the travel advice to pretend you're Canadian?) but e.g. in Germany they're often known for being noisy, which is generally seen as rude. I've heard a lot of complaints about American tourists "talking too loud" even in regular conversation, and the heavy use and expectation of "social smiling" (i.e. feigning friendliness as courtesy) can be extremely off-putting.
Re: Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
#155>Several years ago, 80 bison were reintroduced two centuries after their disappearance from these territories... I had no idea there were bison in Europe. The provided hyperlink leads to an article about bison being reintroduced in Mexico. Here is an appropriate article about bison being rewilded in the Southern Carpathians: https://rewildingeurope.com/blog/free-roaming-bison-populati... .
I have imagined that europe was always heavily populated, while north america was sparsely populated (allowing endless bison). Might not be that true, maybe europe wasn't that dense, and also disease killed so many when the first europeans arrived.
Re: Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’ve read about them after getting introduced to: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Żubrówka
There is bison in Chernobyl: https://www.rferl.org/a/bison-chernobyl/28357813.html
Re: Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
#157Call me pessimist but (emphasis mine): > We can only buy from private property, but not from municipalities or landowners’ associations, so our strategy is to acquire what we can and donate it to the state *only if it creates a national park* So foreign "donors" are buying land that they gonna keep if local government doesn't do what they want.
Powerful aristocrats and mysterious patrons buying up parts of Transylvania to ensure the preservation of the old ways? Sounds like the background to a Dan Brown novel…
Re: Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’ve read about them after getting introduced to: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Żubrówka
I am of the firm belief that this drink, mixed with apple juice, should be marked as Unesco world heritage already.
Re: Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
Unfortunately, Romanian bears are brown bears (Ursus arctos), not black (Ursus americanus). They are not easily scared by people and encounters with them can be very dangerous.
I don't think there's a much difference in behavior between the species, probably Romania just has more bears living close to humans, which makes them less afraid and conflicts more likely. For the record, my home country (Finland) has about 2000 brown bears, and they have killed only a single person during past 100 years. Most of the time they try their best to avoid humans, and the majority of people living in the…
"Between 2016 and 2021, there were 154 bear attacks on humans, resulting in 158 injuries and 14 deaths"
https://www.politico.eu/article/romania-bear-attacks-on-huma...
Re: Group buys up large tracts of land in Romania to create 'European Yellowstone'
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
As a frequent reader of r/europe, Americans have FAR from the worst reputation for tourists within Europe, it's not even close. At least among larger countries, they might actually have a better than average rep.
I don't dislike US-Americans. Very far from it. Most US-Americans that I have encountered (both abroad and stateside) are a lovely bunch, great tippers, and have a distinct happy-go-lucky attitude that is hard to find anywhere else. The crux: When a place gets popular with a certain tourist demographic (through Instagram, Tiktok, whatever) there is an inflection point where the place / experience starts to become com…