VIDEO: Large roaming brown bear seen in Hungary
In the 20th century, nobody could encounter bears in Hungary because there were none due to their low population in the surrounding countries. The situation changed in the last few years and brown bear spottings have become frequent. Some experts believe that Hungary already hosts a bear community able to reproduce, others still think bears only roam to Hungary but leave the country and return to Slovakia or Ukraine. Nevertheless, the number of footage showing bears in Hungary is increasing. Here is the newest.
Numerous brown bears roam in Hungary, some may even live here
According to Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid, the number of bear spottings from hikers has been increasing lately. Reports about bear encounters are rare but the signs of bear activity are growing. Therefore, the media outlet wrote that Hungary’s fauna is already enriched by our favourite furry animal.
The last time a bear spotting was reported was on 23 November in Lillafüred, a popular Hungarian tourist destination in the Bükk Mountains, near Lake Hámori. Later, the bear roamed to Felsőhámor and Újmassa and was caught on CCTV footage shared by WWF Hungary.
The recording was made in November but they only shared it now. They believe the bear is the same specimen they filmed in the summer.
Here is the August footage:
Mihály, the brown bear from Bükk, in a daylight video:
Do not try to run away from a bear!
According to turistamagazin.hu, it is impossible to tell exactly how many brown bears roam the Hungarian wilderness because they can walk huge distances spanning even tens of kilometres during one day. All hikers should be aware that bears are the most active in the May-June period because that is the mating period of the species.
Moreover, the portal wrote that people should never try to run away from bears if the animal notices them because the animal can run faster than humans. You’d better not look into his eyes, not turn your back to him and not try to scare him away. Instead of doing something hasty or foolish, you should wait until the bear decides to walk away.
The number of bear spottings is the highest in the Bükk, Mátra and Börzsöny mountains in Northern Hungary.
Henrik Orbán, a secretary of the Hunters’ Chamber of Győr-Moson-Sopron County, told Magyar Nemzet that cohabitation with bears is impossible in Hungary because of the country’s high population density. Therefore, Hungary is unable to sustain a bear population that can reproduce. However, there is no plan to regulate the number of bears in Hungary. Currently, the brown bear is a highly protected species.
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