Slovakia bear attack leaves one person hospitalized

A brown bear attack in the Zobrakov locality, within the Suchá Hora cadastral area of the Orava region, has resulted in a person being hospitalized. The State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic (ŠOP SR) reported that the incident occurred in dense undergrowth. The FATRA Intervention Team is currently monitoring the area, where photo traps and warning signs have been installed to alert the public.

In addition to the Orava incident, a bear was also reported in the Demänová area near Liptovský Mikuláš. Authorities are urging visitors to exercise extreme caution, particularly when moving through thick or obscured terrain, and to stick to marked trails.

These incidents occur amid ongoing debates regarding bear management in Slovakia and the broader European Union. Slovakia and Romania, which host more than half of the EU's brown bear population, are seeking a reduction in the level of bear protection. In response to previous human-wildlife conflicts, the Slovak government previously approved a proposal to cull 350 bears. Official data indicates that intervention teams have shot 28 bears in the first seven months of this year.