Over the weekend, a man walking his dog near the village of Sučany, close to Martin in northwestern Slovakia, was attacked by an 18-year-old female bear. In an act of self-defense, the man shot the bear with a legally held weapon. TA3 television reported that even warning shots fired into the air were ineffective in deterring the bear, which was stopped by a fatal shot just a meter away from the man. The police are currently investigating the incident.
Another similar incident apparently took place on Hradská hora near Liptovský Hrádek. A man, believed to be injured by a bear, was discovered by a bus driver by the roadside, and assistance was immediately sought. The injured man was subsequently taken to the hospital, where he is now out of life-threatening danger.
In a separate occurrence last week, a brown bear attacked a 20-year-old man on a family farm in the village of Háj, located in the Turčianske Teplice district. Fortunately, the man’s mother intervened and managed to fend off the bear by using a pitchfork. Following this incident, the father of the attacked man has threatened to shoot any bear that trespasses onto their farm. Farmer Martin Sedlačko declared that he will not allow these animals to pose a threat to his family. He expressed disregard for the bear’s protected status and the potential consequences he may face, asserting that any bear crossing the farm’s boundaries will be killed. Sedlačko believes that simply trapping the bears is insufficient and advocates for a targeted reduction in their population.
Slovakia’s Environment Minister, Milan Chrenko, permits the regulated and controlled culling of overpopulated bears. However, he cautions that mass hunting of these animals is not feasible due to European legislation.
