The police announced on Facebook on Thursday that the 38-year-old man had suffered bite injuries in the calf area that were not life-threatening. He was treated in the hospital and discharged home the same day. The incident happened on Wednesday on a forest road in the municipality of Tuzina in north-western Slovakia.
Police urged vigilance when staying in forested areas where bears live, as bears tend to leave their dens as the warmer months begin. According to the bear task force of the State Nature Conservation Agency (SOP), the animal was apparently “looking for its natural food, probably beechnuts, in its natural habitat” in a young beech forest. It was disturbed by the two runners and therefore attacked, the TASR news agency quoted the experts as saying. Anyone moving in such an area must expect to encounter such animals. According to official counts, there are around 1,200 wild bears in Slovakia.
