Illustratory image. (source: Ján Krošlák, SME)
Two bear-related incidents occurred over the last weekend. One resulted in the death of a woman, the other in the injury of several people.
Tragic hike in an unmarked area
On Friday evening, the police received an emergency call that a Belarusian couple, a man and woman, were being chased by an animal in the Demänovská Dolina valley near the town of Liptovský Mikuláš, northern Slovakia.
According to the man who was eventually rescued unharmed, the two separated when they came across the bear, who started chasing the woman. She was later found dead, with apreliminary report suggesting that she had fallen and suffered devastating injuries to her head. The circumstances are still being investigated.
The Mountain Rescue Service stated that the two set out on a hike to Siná Mountain from the village of Lazisko. However, there is no official marked trail to the mountain. The area has a 5th degree of protection; starting with the 3rd degree, hikers are only allowed on marked trails one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset.
Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba (SNS nom.) blamed both NGOs and the Constitutional Court for the death of the woman.
"According to the Slovak Constitutional Court ruling, shooting bears on a large scale is not allowed. So I congratulate the Constitutional Court, I hope you are happy with your work, this is also your doing," he said.
The ministry noted in this regard that Slovakia and Romania are going to submit a proposal to the next meeting of the Council of EU Environment Ministers, which would allow effective and active control of the bear population.
Right in the town centre
On Sunday afternoon, a bear was spotted running through the centre of Liptovský Mikuláš. One man suffered injuries after the animal attacked him, four other people injured while running away. All have been released from hospital.
The police tried to scare the animal away by using vehicles; eventually, the bear swam across the river Váh and ran into a forest in an uninhabited area. A number of strike teams are continuously searching for the animal.
The town declared an emergency situation over the bear attack, calling on locals not to venture outside residential areas, in particular in the evening and early morning hours.
