A brown bear that terrorized a small town in Slovakia was recently killed by authorities in the central European country after a week-long manhunt.
The town of Liptovsky Mikulas declared a state of emergency on March 20 after a bear was spotted running in its suburbs. The mammal attacked five residents, including a 10-year-old girl.
The footage shows the bear running down several streets before jumping into a river and swimming into the distance.
On Wednesday, Liptovsky Mikulas officials announced the death of the bear, who was confirmed to be a male.
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The bear, believed to have been killed, was first spotted in a Slovak town on March 20, authorities said. (Matus Stiksa, via Storyful)
“According to Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba, the bear, which injured five people in several locations in the center and on the quay, was removed by emergency teams at 21:50 yesterday,” the Facebook post said. ing. Read Slovak. “It added that a biometric-equipped drone was used to verify the identity.”
“Several patrols [had] “We continued searching day and night until they were eliminated,” the statement added.
Residents doubting death
However, many residents questioned whether the original bear had been killed and believed a smaller female bear was targeted instead. Some believe that the government may have lied about the incident ahead of the April 6 election.
One politician claimed that government documents say a female bear was killed in her place.
“According to the document written by the bear control team that we found, a female bear weighing 67 kilograms was captured and killed,” Michal Wierzyk, an opposition lawmaker in the country, was quoted as saying. “We don’t need high-end biometrics to show that a shooting like this has nothing to do with the 100-kilogram man they were looking for.”
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At least five residents were injured when a bear ran through the town of Liptovsky Mikulas on March 20. (Reuters)
Slovaks are divided over the killing in the Facebook comments section, with many questioning their government’s reporting.
“Killers! You killed a bear that had just woken up from hibernation. It was hungry and looking for food,” one angry social media user wrote.
Other Slovaks took the situation as an opportunity to attack their government.
“Use common sense,” he wrote in Slovak. “In a country where we can’t even build roads and where half of our offices don’t have electronic communication, the bear was identified by a drone that measures biometrics.” “No one in their right mind can believe fairy tales about biometrics.”
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After the March 20 incident, the bear swam away into the river, leading residents to question whether it posed a danger. (Matus Stiksa, via Storyful)
Before the killing, some residents begged authorities to spare the mammal’s life, but did not believe it posed a threat.
online forum
“This young bear who accidentally entered the city is scared because he has entered unknown territory… After this experience he will never return to the city… Keep the young bear away from his life. There’s no point in that…please let him live,” one user wrote.
“The bear was apparently chased out into the city, where it certainly continued to ‘wake up and attack’ people,” added another. “He was more scared than anyone else.”
At least one Slovak social media user supported the decision.
Five Slovakians injured in the bear attack were treated. (Reuters)
“We need to further reduce the overpopulated bear population,” the woman wrote. “We can’t all fit into a confined space. People are afraid to enjoy nature, forests and mountains.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the city of Liptovsky Mikulas for comment.
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