A brown bear living in the wild attacked a forest ranger in the Liptovsky Mikulas district of Slovakia, a region where such incidents have increased in recent times, the National Nature Protection Service (SOP) announced on Thursday evening. ).
According to the SOP, the bear rushed at the forest guard on a narrow path in the middle of the forest, on the territory of the Kvacany municipality. “The 35-year-old man fell and suffered injuries to his chest, spine and broken ribs. In self-defense, he fired three warning shots to frighten the animal, according to the SOP.
Last week, in the same region, a bear attacked a couple who were walking their dog in the forest, slightly injuring one of the people, while local authorities announced that they had managed to shoot down another bear which had injured five people in the mid-March in the center of the tourist town of Liptovsky Mikulas.
Also in March, a woman from Belarus died following another bear attack in the same district of central Slovakia, located at the foot of the Tatra Mountains and close to popular ski resorts.
VIDEO. Two brown bear attacks in a few days in Slovakia
The Environment Ministry recently issued a directive authorizing protective shooting against brown bears, with special teams given the green light to shoot any bears that pose a threat to humans. He also announced a bill to authorize the killing of bears that approach human settlements.
Twenty attacks in 2023, compared to 8 in 2021
On Thursday, Parliament Speaker and presidential candidate Peter Pellegrini said he would convene a special session over the bear attacks. Last year, 20 such incidents took place in Slovakia, compared to eight in 2021.
In 2021, a 57-year-old man was killed by a brown bear in central Slovakia, in the first confirmed fatal attack by a wild bear in that country. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, “there is an overpopulation of brown bears in Slovakia.” In contrast, Slovak researchers say there has been no major increase in the bear population, estimated at around 1,275 individuals last year.