55-year-old man bleeds to death Brown bear kills mushroom picker in Slovakia

SDA

5.10.2024 - 21:37

Several dozen brown bears have recently been released for shooting in Slovakia. They have lost their fear of humans and have become a danger. (symbolic picture)
Several dozen brown bears have recently been released for shooting in Slovakia. They have lost their fear of humans and have become a danger. (symbolic picture)
Monika Skolimowska/KEYSTONE

A brown bear attacked and fatally injured a mushroom picker in Slovakia. A rescue team was unable to help in the rough terrain and the man bled to death.

SDA

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  • A brown bear has attacked a mushroom picker in Slovakia and torn open one of the main arteries in his legs.
  • A rescue team from a helicopter that was called in lowered a paramedic down to the injured man in the rough terrain. But the man bled to death.
  • The last time a fatal bear attack occurred in Slovakia was in 2021. Several dozen brown bears have been released for shooting recently.

The 55-year-old mushroom picker was accompanied by another person in a forest area near the village of Hybe when the bear attacked. A police spokeswoman told the online edition of the newspaper "Sme". The team of a helicopter that was called in was able to locate the seriously injured man in the rough terrain and lowered a paramedic to him with a winch.

"During the attack, however, the bear had hit one of the main arteries of the man's lower extremities, causing severe bleeding and circulatory arrest," the rescuers' report states. The mushroom picker succumbed to his injuries on the spot.

This is the second fatal injury inflicted on a human by a brown bear in Slovakia in recent years. The last incident of this kind occurred in 2021, also in the Liptov region in the east of the country.

According to estimates, there are around 1,300 brown bears in Slovakia. They prefer to live in the mountains or in dense forests. Several dozen of them have recently been released for shooting because they have lost their fear of humans or have become a danger to the lives, health and property of citizens.

SDA