At least three brown bears have died after being hit by cars in the past few weeks in Romania, raising concerns over the European Union country's handling of Europe's largest protected carnivore. 

A bear was reportedly left in pain for 19 hours after being hit by a car last week in Harghita county, a region where such animals are often spotted. Pictures on social media showed the bear in agony on the side of the road with three broken limbs, surrounded by local police and curious onlookers.

The animal was eventually put down, with local authorities saying the delayed reaction was due to complicated bureaucratic procedures and confusing regulations on how to handle injured wild animals. 

Romania's environment minister Costel Alexe said the process was further delayed by a lack of equipment, as the veterinary doctor who arrived at the site didn't have a tranquilizer to put the animal down, and had to wait for another colleague to be sent there later. Alexe said the incident was "regrettable and sad." 

Speaking to a Romanian news channel, the minister said local authorities should have addressed the incident immediately, without seeking guidance or permission from government authorities in Bucharest. He added that bureaucracy was also to blame for the poor coordination of this incident and vowed to improve legislation on this matter. But local officials say it's the environment ministry's responsibility to approve the killing of a bear before a local vet can put it down.

Earlier this month, two other brown bears were fatally struck by cars – one in Mures county, the other one in Sibiu county, according to local media reports. A fourth bear was hit by a vehicle but survived and was taken to a local zoo in Targu Mures earlier this week.

The human-bear conflict has been growing in some parts of the country in recent years, despite EU legislation in place aiming to support both parties. On one hand, some local farmers complain that bears have destroyed their crops and killed livestock. On the other hand, environmentalists say the bears' natural habitat has been affected by deforestation and construction.

Last year, the EU relaxed the rules on reimbursing farmers for the damage done by carnivores, in an effort to lessen the need for farmers to kill these threatened species. EU regulations also allow farmers to seek compensation for building electric fences and buying guard dogs. But in Romania, critics say payments for damage caused by large carnivore attacks have been withheld.

In mountain cities such as Brasov, bears are often spotted foraging through garbage bins, despite efforts from animal rights supporters and authorities to keep wild animals away from residents and tourists.

There have been incidents of people being mauled to death by hungry or irritated bears, which come down from Carpathian forests into cities in search for food.

Up to 6,000 brown bears are estimated to live in Romania. At least three people have been killed in bear attacks in the past two months in Romania, bringing the total number of such fatalities to at least six this year, according to local media. 

The recent deadly bear attacks have also raised fears that the country's carnivore population has increased beyond control, although this is not supported by official figures. 

There are now growing calls for a return to trophy hunting, following a 2016 national ban that was widely praised by animal rights supporters. A controversial bill that would allow brown bears to be hunted over the next five years was voted through by the senate, the upper house in the bicameral parliament of Romania, in September. 

The initiative has sparked controversy among animal rights organisations. An online petition by the World Wildlife Fund Romania calling for the bill to be cancelled has been signed by almost 35,000 people. The draft still needs to be approved by the parliament's lower house before it becomes law.