A bear attacked a jogger on a hiking trail in Slovakia. The 38-year-old was seriously injured.
Bratislava – A run on a marked hiking trail ended horribly for a 38-year-old man in Slovakia. A brown bear attacked the man – three times in all, according to the mountain rescue service HZS.
Slovakia: Bear attacks jogger and bites him all over his body
“First time it attacked his face and head, then twice more he came to the lying person and bit his whole body, arms, legs and torso,” he writes Mountain rescue service HZS about the bear attack.
The 38-year-old was therefore on a marked hiking trail in the Valcianska Javorina area. The bear attacked and bit the runner in the Mala Fatra mountains when he was already lying on the ground.
The injured were first treated by the mountain rescue service and then flown to the hospital by helicopter. According to the air rescue service to the TASR news agency, the seriously injured person was conscious.
Brown bear attack in Slovakia – mountain rescuer climbs a tree to escape
It’s not the first bear attack in Slovakia: a brown bear even attacked a mountain rescuer last summer. On the way back from a work assignment, the man was attacked in June. The mountain rescuer climbed a tree to save himself from the animal. From there he could call his colleagues for help on his mobile phone.
Bears usually avoid people. However, if they feel threatened or their young are threatened, they can also attack. According to the Ministry of the Environment in Bratislava, the fact that such incidents are increasing is often due to the fact that the animals are lured into the vicinity of human settlements by open waste containers or food for wild animals.
Problem bears in Slovakia? Hunters call for bears to be shot
According to the last official census of the state nature conservation in 2016, there are more than 1,200 wild bears in Slovakia. According to a more recent census, of which only partial results have been published, this stock should currently be about the same size. However, hunters and local politicians doubt this and call for a reduction through targeted shooting. Legally, shooting bears in Slovakia is only allowed under strict conditions if there is a danger to humans.
In Trentino, a bear attack made headlines in 2020. Before the night shift, a young police officer was out for a walk when suddenly a bear pounced on him. (ml/dpa)
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