State of Emergency over Bears Declared in District of Kysucke Nove Mesto (2)

Kysucke Nove Mesto, April 23 (TASR) - A state of emergency has been declared in the district of Kysucke Nove Mesto (Zilina region) in response to the number of bears, according to an announcement published by the village of Povina. The decision was made by the crisis management team that met following an attack by a she-bear on a 34-year-old man in the Kysuce Protected Landscape Area on Sunday (April 21). The state of emergency was declared on Monday (April 22) afternoon "due to a high risk to health and human lives as a result of the huge number of bears, changes in their behaviour and loss of shyness towards humans". The district office of Kysucke Nove Mesto said that declaring a state of emergency was necessary due to the increased risk of encounters with bears that have become used to living near humans in both the inner and outer areas of the town of Kysucke Nove Mesto and the villages in its immediate surroundings. State and municipal police patrols in residential areas of the high-risk zones will be intensified. The tourist who was attacked by a bear near the village of Povina (Zilina region) at the weekend suffered a leg injury. He also injured his back when falling and had to be treated at Zilina hospital. This was the 11th bear attack on a human to take place since March 15, 2024. The bear attacks have left 11 people injured. ko/df