Wildlife Season: How to Behave When Encountering a Bear?
Conversation with Matej Bartol from the Slovenia Forest Service
We are in the time of year when encounters with bear cubs are not uncommon, so we asked experts from the Slovenia Forest Service where in Slovenia we can come across wild animals and how to behave so that the encounter is safe for both human and animal.
"Bears have already come out of hibernation and this year's cubs already weigh 5 to 10 kilograms, so they are already more mobile," explains Matej Bartol from the Slovenia Forest Service.
We have the most bears in southern Slovenia, but we can encounter one outside this area too, especially in the corridor area when bears are moving towards the Alps. This can be in Posočje, on Cerkljansko, in Zasavje, also in Primorska.
"If we spot a bear cub by the road, we do not get out of the car, we do not approach the bear at all, and we do not feed it under any circumstances, as feeding can create problematic bears that begin to associate human presence with easily accessible food, and such a bear will cause conflicts in the future," advises Bartol.
"If we encounter a bear on a walk, we first alert it to our presence and slowly, without sudden movements, retreat backwards in the direction we came from."
Attacks on humans extremely rare
As Bartol emphasizes, bear attacks on humans are extremely rare here. "In most cases, the bear will retreat as soon as it detects human presence, and usually the person will not even know that they have come close to a bear. There are, however, some situations, such as the proximity of a sow with cubs, which can be more dangerous," he warns.
"One such situation is if we surprise a bear at short range in a somewhat more overgrown area, when the bear does not notice us in time, and that is then its defensive reaction. It reacts defensively and can also attack."
"Another such situation is walking a dog off-leash. A dog not on a leash can provoke a bear, then while seeking cover, it leads the enraged bear straight to its owner," Bartol also warns.
Source:
https://www.rtvslo.si/okolje/sezona-divjih-zivali-kako-ravnati-ob-srecanju-z-medvedom/745745