At 17 years old, the brown bear known as “Arthur” may have been the largest in all of Europe. But conservationists admit it’s hard to know for sure — after all, it’s not like the continent’s bears line up every year to be measured.

Arthur’s remarkable size may turn out to have unexpected political significance. A young prince from the tiny nation of Liechtenstein is accused of killing the bear during a trophy hunt in Romania, and authorities have launched an investigation into whether he did so illegally. Romania’s prime minister, meanwhile, is facing criticism for downplaying the incident by claiming that there are bigger bears.