The bear walks around Bykowce near Sanok and looks into garbage containers in search of food. – We have never had such situations before – we hear from the local commune office, which appealed to residents to be careful. – He doesn't wander there aimlessly. He knows he will find something to eat there – comments Łukasz Lis, spokesman for the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Rzeszów.
A 26-second recording of a bear walking around the village between houses was published by the Commune Office in Sanok on its social media page. The video shows an animal slowly walking along the road between buildings. According to officials, the predator was encountered by one of the residents who was walking to the bus stop in the morning.
– Recently, we have been receiving more and more reports from residents who see predators near their homes – says Agnieszka Marszałek, head of the Environmental Protection Department at the Sanok Commune Office.
Observations of local officials show that there are currently several bears in the Sanok commune. They appeared last fall and have “settled” in the commune. Previously, they were observed in forests and did not venture into villages.
– There were situations where someone saw an individual moving between towns, but it was very far from homes – emphasizes the Marshal.
Now residents are seeing predators more and more often around their buildings. – Bears are starting to assimilate and live in our surroundings and this is disturbing – he adds.
The bear began to appear between houses in Bykowce in the Sanok communeCommune Office in Sanok
He plunders garbage cans
A bear that was walking around Bykowce was plundering garbage containers. He left a clear paw print on one of them. The commune issued a message in which it appealed to residents to be careful, not to leave food and food waste outside, and to properly secure garbage containers and keep them in places that are difficult for animals to access.
– Please remember that a bear can be dangerous to humans and when it feels threatened it may attack, so we appeal to residents to be careful. When returning home late in the evening, it is worth making an appointment with someone and going back together, if possible, calling someone who can come to your place and take you home. A bear is a dangerous animal, unpredictable, you never know how it will behave, attack or leave, so first of all you should avoid contact with this predator – instructs Agnieszka Marszałek.
He adds that the local commune office is in constant contact with the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection. – We are monitoring the situation and doing everything to prevent dangerous events – assures our interlocutor.
He also appeals to report all incidents involving bears (or other wild animals) that may pose a threat to people to the Environmental Protection Department at the Sanok Commune Office.
A bear looks into garbage cansCommune Office in Sanok
A bear's paw print on the lid of a garbage canCommune Office in Sanok
Firecrackers, gas weapons and bear stun guns
The Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Rzeszów has issued a permit to the commune to scare away predators. The law allows this when wild animals, such as wolves or bears, appear too close to buildings and may pose a threat to residents.
– Already last year, there were disturbing signals of what we are currently witnessing, namely increased bear activity in the vicinity of buildings. For now, the situation is not dangerous, but requires monitoring. What is a bear doing in Bykowce or other towns? He doesn't wander there aimlessly. He knows he will find something to eat there, says Łukasz Lis, spokesman for the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Rzeszów.
He adds: – The commune has a permit to scare bears, you should use it to prevent the bear from becoming too rampant. Let's hope this will work.
According to the regulations, bears can be scared away using firecrackers, gas weapons and stun guns using rubber bullets, but also flashlights with a flashing mode, car horns or other “sound scarers”. It is important that these activities do not cause injuries or mutilations to animals.
These activities can be carried out by local Volunteer Fire Department units and residents who are under direct threat from predators. The permit issued by RDOŚ to scare away predators in the Sanok commune is valid until the end of this year.
Bears under strict protection
The brown bear has been under strict protection in Poland since 1952. According to estimates, the number of these predators in Podkarpacie has increased more than sixfold since the early 1970s. 40 years ago there were less than 20 of them and they occurred only in the Bieszczady Mountains. A quarter of a century later there were 50 of them, and in the first years of this century – 100.
Currently, there are nearly 200 bears in south-eastern Poland, mainly in the Bieszczady Mountains, the Low Beskids and the Przemyśl Foothills. That's 90 percent of the Polish population.
It can kill with one blow of its paw
Bears can be dangerous to humans when we surprise them in their natural habitat. Mothers with cubs can be particularly dangerous, as they can pose a lethal threat in defending their offspring. An adult individual, when standing upright on its hind legs, is over three meters high and its weight can reach up to half a ton. Such a bear can kill with one blow of its paw.
To avoid encountering a bear, you should only follow designated trails. Avoid evening, lonely trips to the forests. Do not enter dense thickets (young trees, crops) where these predators may reside.
However, if you encounter a bear, do not run away, make sudden movements or look the animal in the eye, as this may provoke it to attack. It's best to back away slowly and carefully. However, if a predator attacks you, you should lie flat on the ground, press your belly to the ground with your hands, and protect your neck and head.
How to behave when encountering a bearTVN24
Main photo source: Commune Office in Sanok