Slovakia shoots dead a bear that attacked a man — along with her two cubs

Northern Slovakia saw two bear attacks on people over the past weekend. On Saturday, in the Valčianska valley near the town of Martin, a 55-year-old cyclist was injured. On Sunday, near the village of Sučany, a female bear seriously injured a man who was later found near the exit from the D1 motorway toward Turany. The victim, who suffered severe head and chest injuries, was taken to hospital.

According to Slovak Deputy Environment Minister Filip Kuffa, the animal that attacked the man near Turany was soon located and shot — along with her two cubs. “The female bear that bit the man near Turany has just been shot,” Kuffa announced on his Facebook page.

Pre-empting criticism

The deputy minister got ahead of potential accusations of excessive force. “Should we have contacted zoos first? Carried out identification? Tried scaring her off? Re-educated her?” he asked sarcastically, commenting on the rescue team’s actions.

A search aided by drones

Juraj Žiak, a spokesman for the brown bear response task force, told the TASR agency that the volunteer fire brigade of Sučany took part in the search for the bear. “Two drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras were used for monitoring. Thanks to this technology, we were able to quickly locate the attacking female bear along with her two cubs,” Žiak said.

He explained that the decision to put the animals down was made because of the immediate threat they posed to people’s lives and health near transport infrastructure. An examination of the dead bear revealed that her teeth were heavily worn, indicating her advanced age and likely reduced ability to hunt for food naturally.

The female bear weighed 136 kilograms and was estimated to be around 18 years old. She was accompanied by two cubs weighing 23 and 25 kilograms, which also had to be put down.

Read also: 9 best cycling routes around Prague: from the banks of the Vltava to Karlštejn Castle

Source: novinky.cz