As of: March 18, 2024, 4:48 p.m
By: Bettina Menzel
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A brown bear in the forest (symbolic image).
© IMAGO/Max Seigal/SuperStock
Vacationers in Slovakia encountered a bear while hiking.
The couple fled in different directions, but only the man survived.
Jasna – In northern Slovakia, a woman died in the Jasna ski resort early on Friday evening (March 15) after falling from a great height.
The 31-year-old tourist from Belarus fell down a slope while fleeing from a brown bear and sustained fatal head injuries.
A police spokeswoman said this on Saturday (March 16), according to the Slovakian news agency TASR.
Any help came too late for the 31-year-old - her husband was able to save himself.
Couple flees from brown bear in different directions: woman falls down slope and dies
During a hike in the Slovakian Low Tatras mountains along the route from the village of Lazisko to Mount Sina, which is popular with tourists, the two vacationers came across a brown bear.
To escape from the animal, the couple ran away in different directions, the report continued.
That apparently saved the man's life.
He was uninjured and was able to call the emergency services.
The exact course of the accident is still being investigated, it is said.
According to the responsible medical examiner, the cause of death of the 31-year-old was a failure of the central nervous system caused by severe head injuries.
Mountain rescuers found the lifeless woman under a ledge in steep terrain while the bear was still nearby.
The animal was able to be driven away “with the help of a service dog, screaming and a warning shot from a police officer,” the police spokeswoman said, according to TASR.
Another incident just two days later: Confused brown bear in a Slovakian residential area
There was another incident in Slovakia on Sunday: According to the TASR agency, a brown bear wandered through the town of Liptovsky Mikulas and injured five people with bite wounds or scratches.
According to initial findings, the bear may have crossed the Waag (Vah) river and then got lost in a residential area.
The animal was also seen near a shopping center, but was ultimately chased away into a wooded area.
According to the city administration, the brown bear should now be shot
According to studies by the state nature conservation agency in collaboration with scientists from Charles University in Prague, there are around 1,100 to 1,200 wild bears in Slovakia.
The animals usually avoid people as long as they notice them in time.
However, if there is a surprising encounter or if female bears believe their cubs are threatened, they can attack
(bme/dpa).