Bears and bear encounters have been dominating Slovak news recently, following on reports from farmers and hunting groups that bear encounters are increasing in northern and eastern Slovakia. The news that a bear was shot dead on Thursday by a hunter in the eastern Slovak town of Prešov is providing fuel to these fires. The shooting took place on Športová Street shortly before 8 a.m. according to TASR. The bear reportedly wandered into the town on Wednesday, and spent a day and night roaming through the streets of residential areas.
“According to preliminary assessments, he was seven years old, weighed up to 100 kg and was in bad physical shape”, said Juraj Ciberej of the University of Veterinary Health Care and Pharmacy in Košice. Hunters missed a couple of shots before the third bullet connected. The bear at the time was pacing around a large company property with unkempt grass near some houses and a four-lane road. The area was monitored throughout Wednesday by both police and hunters, and all access roads were closed to traffic. The bear apparently felt at home and didn't show any inclination to leave the area. “The bear had to be taken down, as there weren't appropriate conditions for mobilisation. It was a large bear that couldn't simply be caught and transported elsewhere. As an adult bear he was likely to cause similar problems when set free at some other location. It's unusual that it wandered into this area despite there being no shortage of its preferred food in the forests”, said Ciberej. “We'll see, maybe the autopsy will reveal some kind of disease. We'll certainly be seeking an answer as to why this specimen displayed such strange behaviour”.
