Environmental Police Investigating Bear Attack near Ruzomberok

Ruzomberok, 16 February (TASR) - The environmental police are investigating an attack by a she-bear on two men near Ruzomberok (Zilina region), which occurred on Sunday (15 February), with the animal being reportedly shot dead with handguns, Police Corps Presidium spokesperson Lea Vilhanova told TASR on Monday, adding that a criminal investigation has been launched into the offence of poaching. According to Velka Fatra National Park manager Veronika Simkova, the attack took place in a forest near Ruzomberok's district of Hrboltova, at an altitude of around 900 metres above sea level. "We dispatched an ambulance to the Ruzomberok town district of Hrboltova. A 56-year-old man with an open wound to the wrist and other bodily injuries was transported to hospital in Ruzomberok," said Martina Frohlich Cinovska from the Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre. As confirmed by Nikola Bystricanova, spokesperson for the SNP Central Military Hospital in Ruzomberok, the patient's condition is stable. According to Environment Ministry State Secretary Filip Kuffa, the man and his son were walking with a dog through the forest and checking timber-felling activities. "Suddenly, a she-bear attacked them from a rocky slope above a forest road. The injured man defended himself by firing several shots at the bear, which then knocked him to the ground, and the two of them began rolling down the rocky terrain," said Kuffa, adding that the injured man's son came to the rescue and shot the bear dead, firing multiple times from very close range. Velka Fatra National Park stated that a lactating female bear with gunshot wounds was found at the site by a field team, with the police and a gamekeeper also in attendance. Near the site, they found a den with three cubs, which were taken away by the Fatra intervention team and provided with the necessary care. The carcass of the bear was left at the site for further investigation by law-enforcement authorities in connection with the suspected killing of a protected animal in self-defence. jrg/df