Slovak man survives bear attack while mushroom picking
A 67-year-old man from the western part of Slovakia went mushroom picking and became the target of a bear attack. The bear unexpectedly leaped at him from the underbrush.
7:11 PM EDT, October 19, 2024
The man, who is from Prievidza, was in the woods near Kanionka in western Slovakia when the incident occurred. At one point, a bear jumped at him from the tall grass.
"It knocked me to the ground, grabbed my 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 reported that this was his third encounter with a bear in his lifetime. "They mostly attack if you surprise them. I disturbed today's bear, but I had no idea it was there," he stated.
He added that he later realized the bear was in the company of two other, smaller bears. It was likely a female with cubs.
After the attack ended and the animal left, the man attempted to move in the opposite direction. He managed to walk about a mile, but, bloody and in pain, he couldn’t continue. The bear had bitten him on both his arms and 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 911," he recounted.
Rescuers dispatched a helicopter to the scene. It took him to the hospital, where doctors gave him 50 stitches. He had numerous wounds from the bear's claws and teeth.
This is another brown bear attack reported in Slovakia recently. 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 factors, to the growing population of this species. However, scientific studies do not confirm this upward trend.
Source: PAP, ta3.com, myhornanitra.sme.sk
