Watch Out for Brown Bears When Hiking in the North

Two brown bears were sighted in the Bükk National Park in northern Hungary at the end of July. The park’s directorate asks that if anyone sees a bear, report it immediately to them.

They said that one of the animals was reported by a member of the public. On July 29, hikers spotted bear prints in the central part of the Bükk, at the border of the village of Szilvásvárad. The other brown bear was recorded by the camera trap of the Bükk National Park on July 24.

According to the management, a lot of information about brown bears has recently appeared in the press and social media, but these were based on assumptions and did not reflect the facts. They said that

for more than a year they have been finding signs of life that testify to the brown bear’s continuous presence in the area, but since then, forest visitors have not reported any direct encounters with the animal, which clearly proves that the bear avoids human proximity.

The public is asked to contact the management first in case of sightings of brown bears, as all substantiated reports (with precise location, possibly supported by photos) will be investigated in the field.

Lately, an increasing number of brown bears are spotted in Hungary, mainly in the north. According to experts,

the reason why individual bears regularly wander over to northern Hungary is that their habitat in Slovakia is becoming increasingly populated.

In May, a brown bear was spotted in the area of the Aggtelek National Park in northern Hungary, between the villages of Kánó and Felsőtelekes, and reports also came in March of a brown bear spotted in the same area.

Featured photo via Pixabay