A female bear with two cubs attacked a human.
On Tuesday, June 2, at 6:45 PM, the Brown Bear Response Team – Fatra received a report from the District Directorate of the Police Force in Žilina regarding a brown bear attack on a human outside the village of Stráňavy, in the “pod Kojšovským Budzogáňom” area. According to information from the victim, a female bear with two year-old cubs attacked. The injured thirty-six-year-old man, who suffered multiple lacerations and bite wounds, was transported by emergency helicopter to the hospital in Žilina.
Members of the response team conducted a field visit along with a police patrol to the site of the attack, which is located on a marked hiking trail at the edge of the forest and a meadow. Several signs of brown bear presence (droppings and dug-up anthills) were recorded at the site, as well as the victim’s blood on the grass. Response team members documented the attack site and, together with the police patrol, thoroughly checked the surrounding area. They placed camera traps on-site, but the individual has not been recorded yet.
In areas where bears occur, it is important to act cautiously and respect the basic rules of safe movement in nature. Practical and proven solutions from experts that reduce risks and support sustainable behavior in the area are published on the website www.pozormedved.sk, which also features a regularly updated Map of Brown Bear Sightings in Slovakia.
