Nine Bears Roaming Near Slovak Village Outside Žilina — Locals Afraid to Leave Their Homes

Residents of the Slovak village of Strániavy near Žilina are afraid to go outside after as many as nine bears were spotted roaming around the settlement. According to local media, this is the first time the predators have come so close to people's homes.

Locals have been finding signs of the animals' presence on their properties: raided beehives, toppled trees and fresh droppings. A security camera mounted on one of the houses recently captured footage of four large bears right inside the village.

Dozens of Rescue Call-Outs

According to Silver Jurtinus, a manager at the Veľká Fatra National Park administration, a total of fifteen bear sightings have been reported in the Strániavy cadastral area. Members of the "Fatra" rapid-response team have carried out twenty call-outs to track the animals and scare them off as a preventive measure.

So far, only one bear attack on a person has been recorded in the area. In early June, a bear attacked a 36-year-old jogger, who suffered several injuries and was hospitalized in Žilina.

Attacks Reported Across Slovakia

In early August, two more bear attacks on people occurred elsewhere in Slovakia. In the Vlčianska Valley near the town of Martin in the north of the country, a bear attacked a cyclist, while a second incident was recorded in the cadastral area of the village of Sučany in the same district.

According to authorities, 28 brown bears have been culled across Slovakia since the start of 2026. By comparison, 213 animals were culled by the same method throughout all of 2025. Despite the regular culling, bear attacks on people continue.

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Source: novinky.cz