The bears represent a clear and present danger in Szeklerland: the animals are not afraid to enter the cities, villages to look for food, they attack and kill other animals, destroy, damage plantations, orchards and everything else they fancy. A couple of days ago a bear with her cubs entered Székelyudvarhely/Odorheiu Secuiesc. The animals took a one km-long trip in the city, as shown on videos taken by locals. Fortunately, no humans were injured, and the bears escaped the city safely as well, local news portal szekelyhon.ro reports.
The animals were first spotted on Szabók street, and later next to the MOL gas station, meaning that they wandered almost 1 km and they also crossed a bridge, Leonard Mărmureanu-Bíró, the president of the Nagy-Küküllő (Târnava Mare/Große Kokel) Hunting Association told szekelyhon.ro.
The specialist underlined that similar cases may become very common in the near future, as this year’s acorn growth is very poor and big game can’t find enough food in the forest. That is why they are heading towards orchards next to settlements. He also said that next to Székelyudvarhely, around Széldomb there were five bears in one orchard at the same time ruining and smashing the trees. “Plums, apples are growing now and it’s not good to think about what problems this might cause”, the expert noted.
He also added that bears entering towns are minor problems, little settlements, like Homoródalmás/Merești represent greater problems, as they are attacked from every direction by the animals.
Mărmureanu-Bíró Leonard told the news portal what one should do if he or she spots a bear in Székelyudvarhely. He said that the person should call the local police department or the 112 emergency number. In this case the operator will notify the Hunting Association as well, since they have a contract with the city administration, they can fire alarm shots to drive away the big animals.
He also said that the bears’ hearing and sense of smell are very good, but their vision is poor, so if someone spots a bear, they should stop as far away as practicable and wait silently until the animal goes away. If the animal is approaching the person, they should clearly indicate their presence, so as not to startle the animals, the specialist told the news portal.
Title image: Bear in Tusnádfurdő/Băile Tușnad. Photos: www.szekelyhon.ro
