An environmental activist in Poland attempting to prove that a bear den had been vacated because foresters had destroyed its habitat has been attacked by a bear.
Camera footage emerged of the bear attacking an eco-activist from a pro-wildlife NGO in the eastern part of the Bieszczady Mountains in southeastern Poland.
The incident took place on Sunday afternoon when the activist ventured too near to the bear’s winter lair and was attacked. The 56-year-old man’s back and arm were torn. The bear finally ran away, passing the man’s friend who was rushing to his aid; the friend was not attacked.
The injured man is an activist of a local pro-wildlife NGO responsible for making the lair and its surroundings a protected zone.
A spokesman for the Polish Forestry Commission, Michał Gzowski, commented on the attack, describing the incident as “an irony of fate.”
The Forestry Commission’s spokesman published the photos from the camera trap located opposite the bear’s lair. The footage shows how the bear emerged from its hideout and prepared to attack the man approaching the lair.
The local NGO “Wild Carpathians” issued a statement by one of the men participating in the “forest patrol to check if there was any illegal logging going on by the foresters.”
The NGO’s activist admits that he and his colleague failed to take due care, which resulted in the aggression by the bear.
