Bear attack in Slovakia: Mushroom picker survives ordeal
A 67-year-old man living in the western part of Slovakia went mushroom picking. He became the target of an attack by a bear that leapt at him from the underbrush.
A 67-year-old man from Prievidza went mushroom picking in the woods near Kanionka in western Slovakia. At some point, a bear jumped at him from the tall grass.
"It knocked me to the ground, grabbed me by the arm, first one and then the other, and bit off the basket I had on my back, which probably saved my life," the 67-year-old recounted in an interview with local media.
The man reports that this was his third encounter with a bear in his life. - They mostly attack if you surprise them. I disturbed today's bear, but I had no idea it was there, the man stated.
He added that he later realised the bear was in the company of two other, smaller individuals. It was probably a female with cubs.
When the animal ended the attack and left, the man got up and tried to move in the opposite direction. He walked about 1.6 kilometres, but bloody and in pain, he couldn’t go any further. The bear had bitten him not only on the arms but also on the legs.
He received 50 stitches
- My thigh was bleeding and I couldn’t bandage it because my arms and shoulder hurt. So I called my wife, and she called 999, he recounted.
Rescuers dispatched a helicopter to the scene. It took him to the hospital, where doctors gave him 50 stitches. He had many wounds from claws and teeth.
This is another brown bear attack in Slovakia in recent times. At the beginning of October this year, the animal fatally injured a 63-year-old mushroom picker near Liptovský Mikuláš.
Slovakia's Environment Minister Tomasz Taraba believes that bear attacks are related, among other things, to the growing population of this species. However, scientific studies do not confirm this upward trend.
Source: PAP, ta3.com, myhornanitra.sme.sk
