A man from Papolc (Păpăuți in Romanian) from Kovászna (Covasna) County is the newest victim of Romania’s ongoing bear attacks: the man was injured on Sunday while watching animals graze. The victim was taken to the County Emergency Hospital of Sepsiszentgyörgy (Sfântu Gheorghe) after the attack.
“After we received a call on the 112 emergency number about a man being attacked by a bear near Papolc and Csomakőrös (Chiurus), we warned the public through the Ro-Alert System. The man was taken to the County Emergency Hospital of Sepsiszentgyörgy,” the Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations told Agerpres news agency.
Eva Popovici, spokeswoman for Kovászna County Inspectorate for Emergency Situations told Agerpres, the man was injured on his face; the injury is approximately 10 centimeters long.
In recent years, the number of bears looking for food in the vicinity of settlements has increased in the county, and as a result, bear-human conflicts have also increased. But not only humans are affected by this conflict; bears are as well, with it being more and more common that they are killed or injured by cars or trains. Recently, in Kovászna County, a bear was killed by a train near Bodok (Bodoc), while another was hit by a car between Kézdivásárhely (Târgu Secuiesc) and Brassó (Brașov). The animal was transported to Libearty Bear Sanctuary from Zernyest (Zărnești) in Brassó County, but it couldn’t be saved.
Another bear cub, hit in Maros (Mureș) County last Thursday, was luckier: the animal is currently recovering at the zoo of Marosvásárhely (Târgu Mureș). According to Székelyhon.ro, the cub is still in shock and is not eating. But it no longer tolerates being examined and is grumbling and moving constantly. Zoo vet Benedek Barna told the news portal that after discussing with the representatives of the relevant directorates and offices, they agreed that the bear will be released back to the wild and not kept in a sanctuary. “It is too early to talk about this, as the condition of the little bear is still uncertain, and we are not sure if it will recover. It is certainly better than the day after the accident, but we have no idea when it will start to eat again. The animal is locked in a separate place where it can rest and, we hope, recover,” the vet said.
Title image: Bears in Marosvásárhely zoo. Photo: Marosvásárhely Zoo/Facebook
