A 61-year-old man died in a bear attack on Sunday evening in Maros/ Mureș county. The man from Küküllőszéplak/Suplac was fishing in the Kis-Küküllő/Târnava Mică river, next to Vámosudvarhely/Odrihei, when the bear with two cubs attacked him. According to local news papers, the man was killed by a bear that had been seen in the village several times in the past few days.
The bear attack took place on the bank of the Küküllő, at the site of a former quarry, about six hundred meters from the settlement. According to a police press release, the man went fishing on October 12, but did not return. His corpse was found that evening on the banks of the river. Csaba Bartos, deputy mayor of Kóródszentmárton/ Coroisânmartin municipality (Vámosudvarhely is a part of this municipality) told Székelyhon.ro that the bear with her two cubs crossed the Küküllő, but somehow the cubs got left behind, and the fisherman then got between the mother and her cubs. According to hunters, this is why he was attacked and killed by the big game. The man tried to escape, but unfortunately could not.
According to the deputy mayor, the victim had been fishing at that exact location for years and would come out almost every weekend. He underlined that locals do not go fishing very often, but the inhabitants of the neighboring settlements love that place because it is quiet and the water is deep.
Csaba Bartos also told the newspaper that in early October the same bear was spotted on the edge of village. The locals called the emergency number, and the police and gendarmerie, with the help of hunters and foresters, scared the animal off. A goat shepherd from a nearby mountain reported that the bear “visits” him on a daily basis and is stopped only by the electric fence and big dogs.
Csaba Bartos emphasized that they have informed the locals about the attack and asked them to avoid the river bank. According to Transindex.ro, hunters are looking for the bear.
Title image (illustration): The man got between the bear and her cubs; that’s why he was attacked. Photo: Facebook/Medveles Erdélyben
