Latest news More than 40 bears shot in Slovakia

Slovakia is known for its large population of brown bears. However, conflicts with humans occur time and again. Since the beginning of the year until mid-July, 41 so-called "problem bears" have already been shot, the country's state nature conservation authority announced on request.

"Every single case involved individuals that had lost their fear of humans or posed a threat to the lives, health and property of citizens," said a spokesperson in Banska Bystrica. A thorough examination is carried out before the animals are released for shooting.

A few days ago, Slovakia introduced a new standardized telephone number for reporting dangerous encounters with predators. A 24-hour situation center can be reached at the number 18081. Among other things, this can dispatch so-called intervention teams. One focus of the nature conservation authorities' work is education and prevention. For example, care is taken to ensure that garbage containers are closed so that bears are not lured near houses.

In Slovakia, with a population of around 5.4 million, there are estimated to be around 1,300 brown bears. They prefer to live in the mountains or in dense forests. Incidents occur time and again. In spring, more than a dozen people were injured, some of them seriously, including hikers, mushroom hunters and forestry workers. In March, a tourist fell while fleeing from a bear and died.

If you have an unintentional encounter with a brown bear, experts advise you to stand still and retreat slowly. Under no circumstances should you wave your arms, throw stones, shout loudly or take a selfie.