Tusnádfürdő/Băile Tușnad, a small town in Hargita/Harghita County, has become the scene of a frightening event: Two mama bears with three cubs each were embroiled in a violent scuffle in the middle of the town’s walkway.
It’s not clear what triggered the fight, but the bear cubs, frightened by the brawl, tried to escape by climbing up a tree. Unfortunately, one of them either fell or came down, and the other mama bear killed it.
After the brawl, both bears disappeared into the forest. One of them, however, carried the dead cub with her, leaving the other two at the scene. The cubs remaining in the tree were saved by wildlife conservation professionals from Balánbánya/Bălan after the locals alerted authorities about the unfortunate tragedy.
The 3-4-month-old cubs were transferred to the wildlife center run by the professionals and will likely remain there until they reach an age at which they can take care of themselves. That will likely be 2-3 years.
The presence of bears is common in Tusnádfürdő; they regularly enter cities and villages, kill other animals, destroy anything they please, and even injure people. The inhabitants of Tusnádfürdő/Băile Tușnad see bears every day and, by now, have almost grown used to them and the problems they pose. To learn more about brown bears in Transylvania, watch our Bear Facts series. Below you’ll find the first episode entitled “Denning.”
Title image: Bear in Tusnádfurdő/Băile Tușnad. Image source: Székelyhon
