A state of emergency was declared Monday in a Slovak tourist town following a bear attack that left five people injured, including a child, a few days after the death of a woman in a similar incident.
The attack took place on Sunday in Liptovsky Mikulas, at the foot of the Tatra Mountains and close to popular ski resorts.
“The bear attacked five people in the city center before retreating into the woods
,” city spokesperson Viktoria Capcikova told AFP.
The victims, including a 10-year-old child, suffered scratches and bites of varying severity.
“The oldest person treated at the hospital is a 72-year-old man
,” she said.
Still at large
Authorities on Monday asked residents not to venture outside residential areas, particularly in the evening and early morning, as the bear was still on the loose.
Six patrols of hunters, police officers and wildlife experts are trying to locate it around this town, almost 300 kilometers from Bratislava.
“They have a drone with thermal and night vision, traps and service weapons
,” added Ms. Capcikova.
On Friday, a Belarusian citizen died following another attack by a bear in the Demanovska Dolina valley, also in the Liptovsky Mikulas district.
The 31-year-old woman fell to her death from the top of a mountain wall after being chased by a bear, authorities said.
In 2021, a 57-year-old man was killed by a brown bear in central Slovakia, the first confirmed fatal attack by a wild bear in the country.
According to Slovak researchers, the bear population in Slovakia was estimated at around 1,275 individuals last year.
Earlier this month, the Slovak Environment Ministry published new regulations, authorizing specialized teams to shoot any bears that pose a threat to humans.