Paramedics have no chance

Bear attack in Slovakia: Mushroom picker (55) dead

A brown bear has attacked and fatally injured a mushroom picker in Slovakia. According to the rescue team, the 55-year-old died of his injuries on the spot.

The 55-year-old was accompanied by another person in a wooded area near the village of Hybe when the bear attacked, a police spokeswoman told the online edition of the newspaper "Sme".

Cable winch was used
The team of a rescue helicopter that was called in was able to locate the seriously injured man in the rough terrain and lowered a paramedic to him with a winch.

Severe bleeding
"During the attack, however, the bear had hit one of the main arteries of the man's lower extremities, which led to severe bleeding and circulatory arrest," the rescuers' report states. The mushroom picker succumbed to his injuries on the spot.

During the attack, the bear hit one of the main arteries of the man's lower extremities, causing severe bleeding and circulatory arrest.

Auszug aus dem Bericht des Sanitäterteams

This is the second fatal injury inflicted on a human by a brown bear in Slovakia in recent years. The last incident of this kind occurred in 2021, also in the Liptov region in the east of the country.

1300 brown bears in Slovakia
According to estimates, there are around 1,300 brown bears in Slovakia. They prefer to live in the mountains or in dense forests. Several dozen of them have recently been released for shooting because they have lost their fear of humans or have become a danger to the lives, health and property of citizens.