Hunter Shoots Bear After Attack Near Kremnica

Kremnica/Bratislava, 22 June (TASR) - A hunter on Sunday morning (21 June) fatally shot an approximately seven-year-old female brown bear with a legally owned rifle in the Grobna locality within the Banska Bystrica region, central Slovakia, with the State Nature Conservancy (SOP) reporting that the shooting occurred after the animal, accompanied by a cub born this year, attacked the hunter. The incident took place about three kilometres from the village of Krahule. According to SOP, the encounter occurred during the lawful conduct of hunting activities. The bear was near a tourist trail with one cub. "Given the critical proximity of the bear to the hunter, the animal attacked. The hunter subsequently used his legally owned rifle in self-defence and killed the bear," SOP said. Members of the intervention team carried out monitoring of the wider area but were unable to locate the cub. They also collected biological samples and conducted the necessary measurements at the site. Conservationists said the area will continue to be monitored using a camera trap. Officers from the Kremnica district police department, an investigator, a forensic technician and a veterinarian were also called to the scene. As the cub of the killed bear has not been found, SOP has urged residents and visitors in the Krahule and Kremnica areas, as well as adjacent forested areas, to exercise increased caution when outdoors. The organisation advised people to remain on marked hiking trails, avoid dense vegetation and, if they spot a bear cub, not to approach it and to immediately notify the intervention team or call the emergency number 112. mf/mcs