Woman, 31, dies after being chased by bear: Slovak authorities find body in forest after she and her companion were attacked
- The woman and her companion had been hiking in the Low Tatra Mountains
A woman in her 30s has died after she and her companion were attacked by a bear in Slovakia.
The 31-year-old woman from Belarus was walking with a male companion in the Low Tatra Mountains, Slovakia, when they were chased by the bear.
According to her male companion, he and the woman fled in different directions, into the surrounding dense forest and steep ravines.
Her body was discovered by the Slovak Mountain Rescue Service on Friday evening, while the bear was still nearby, which was scared off by gunfire from the rescue team.
According to BBC newsIt is unclear whether the woman fell to her death or was killed by the bear. Slovak authorities have made it clear that if she is killed by the bear, they will make that information public.
A brown bear in a forest in Slovakia. Researchers estimate that there are about 1,275 bears in Slovakia (stock image)
The Low Tatra Mountains in Slovakia. A 31-year-old woman from Belarus was walking with a male companion in the Low Tatra Mountains, Slovakia, when they were chased by a bear. Her body was discovered on Friday evening by the Slovak Mountain Rescue Service
Bears are common in much of Eastern Europe in the areas surrounding the Carpathian Mountains, which stretch from Romania to Poland and run through Slovakia. Researchers estimate that around 1,275 bears live in Slovakia.
There have been a number of bear attacks across Eastern Europe in recent years, including a fatal attack in Slovakia in 2021.
In November last year, the German eco-activist captured the moment he was attacked by a bear after accidentally walking into the animal’s den in Poland’s Bieszczady Mountains.
The man was viciously attacked by the bear but was later airlifted to hospital.
Meanwhile, in 2017, a cyclist was chased by a bear while cycling through the forest in Malino Brdo, Slovakia. After apparently chasing him for a few moments, the bear turns and leans back into the trees.
The Slovak Environment Ministry said it will, together with Romania, propose at the next European Council of Environment Ministers to relist bears as protected species, as their numbers mean they are no longer endangered and can be selectively culled .