Slovakia bear attacks injure forest worker and hiker

A brown bear attacked a 37‑year‑old forest worker in a wooded area near Liptovska Anna on Thursday, inflicting severe bite wounds to his shoulder, knee and hip. Helicopter rescue was hampered by wet, densely forested terrain, so firefighters and rescue crews reached the victim on foot and transported him by road to the hospital in Liptovsky Mikulas.

Earlier that week, a 36‑year‑old hiker was badly injured by a bear on a trail in the Stranavy municipality. The victim was air‑lifted to a hospital in Žilina after sustaining multiple bite injuries to his neck. Authorities said the bear was likely a mother protecting her cubs, and they have warned the public to avoid the area and installed camera traps to monitor further bear activity. Slovakia’s 2022 wildlife survey estimated about 1,200 free‑roaming brown bears in the country.