Bear family spotted in Hungary – they can be very dangerous!

It is not uncommon that bears come from Slovakia to Hungary, but they never stay for too long, and they do not mate in the country at all. It now seems that this trend has changed in the case of the mother bear and her bear cubs that were spotted by a camera trap in the Bükk National Park.

Botond Bakó, the zoologic rapporteur of the national park, told Sokszínű Vidék that a young, probably 1-year-old bear cub was spotted by a camera trap in the Gotva estate near Pásztó, Northern Hungary. In the photo it took, there was another animal, but it could not be identified precisely because of the low quality of the photo. 

Even so, it can happen that the mother bear is wandering together with two bear cubs, he added. Mothers

intensely protect their children for 2-3 or even 4 years

because male bears would kill them to mate with females as soon as possible.

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When it comes to the deer corpse they found on the estate, Mr Bakó was not sure that it was killed by a bear since they are mostly herbivores and scavengers. They hunt animals only if they are old or injured. 

He added that

bears come to Hungary regularly from Slovakia.

These animals have huge territories, and they can wander 51-80 kilometres at night to search for food or during mating season. They come to Hungary because human activities like woodcutting or hunting disturb them in Slovakia.

Hungarian experts try to track down and follow all bears. However, bears are active only at night and hide very successfully, so it is hard not to lose sight of them.

But why is that so important? 

Mother bears protecting their bear cubs can pose a serious threat to everybody, including people. Therefore, they attack everybody who they think can endanger their offspring. Experts of the national park provide information to local people and others interested in what they can do in such situations. Bears are not afraid of humans, but they try to hide from us, so if we go to a forest, we should make noise to avoid an undesired encounter.

Mr Bakó said that the bear family spotted near Pásztó could already be back in Slovakia.

Source: Sokszínű Vidék