A brown bear attacked and injured a forester and a hunter in Slovakia. A spokeswoman for the State Conservation Agency (SOP) said on Monday evening to the TASR news agency.
The two men followed the trail of a shot wild boar in a wooded area near the village of Visnove near the northern Slovakian regional capital of Zilina. Apparently they startled the bear, which was probably resting in the thicket.
Men need hospital treatment
The bear therefore first attacked the forester and then the hunter when he shot at the bear. Both men were injured and needed hospital treatment, but the injuries were not life-threatening, the spokeswoman said. The police, nature conservation and the municipal administration of Visnove called on the population to be more careful and recommended avoiding the forest area if possible. The bear was probably injured by the hunter’s shot and can therefore now react all the more aggressively.
According to studies by the State Nature Conservation Agency in cooperation with scientists from Prague’s Charles University, there are around 1100 to 1200 free-living bears in Slovakia. They usually avoid people if they notice them in time. In the event of a surprise encounter or if female bears believe their cubs are threatened, they can also attack.
