Three bear cubs found after mother shot dead in Slovakia

A forester was injured in an attack by a brown bear in central Slovakia and his son shot the animal dead, officials have said, as attention turned to three orphaned cubs found nearby.

Environment State Secretary Filip Kuffa said on Monday, citing the injured man's son, that the two had been inspecting timber with a hunting dog in a mountain forest when the bear attacked them unexpectedly.

The father fired several shots from his pistol in self-defence, but the bear knocked him down and bit him repeatedly, Kuffa said. The son then shot and killed the animal with a handgun. He found the severely injured dog about 200 metres away, which later died. The father was treated in hospital.

A spokesman for the State Nature Conservation's Brown Bear Intervention Team told public broadcaster STVR that the dead animal was a nursing mother. Three cubs, estimated to be about one month old and already severely weakened, were discovered nearby.

The cubs, which would not survive alone, were transferred to a zoo in Bojnice in western Slovakia. The only male cub was severely dehydrated and required urgent veterinary treatment.

According to the latest official census published in 2022, Slovakia has around 1,200 wild bears. The animals typically avoid people but can attack if surprised or if mothers perceive a threat to their young. Recent years have seen several fatal encounters.