Tatras. Trail closed by a bear family

Due to the appearance of a bear with cubs in the Jaworzynka Valley in Tatra Mountains, since Friday the popular yellow trail leading from Kunice towards Dolina Gąsienicowa is closed. Tourists must give way to nature – informed the Tatra National Park (TPN).

“To ensure peace of mind for the bear family staying near the trail, the yellow tourist trail: Kuźnice – Dolina Jaworzynki – Przełęcz Między Kopami in both directions is closed from Friday until further notice” – reads the TPN announcement.

As explained by the park authorities, the priority of the national park is nature conservation, including the protection of natural processes – for this reason, sometimes people have to give way to the wild inhabitants of the Tatra Mountains. TPN reported that field workers are monitoring the situation and the trail will be opened as soon as the situation is safe for this family and for tourists.

If you encounter a bear near the trail, you should calmly and without sudden movements move away in the opposite direction.

Brown bears feed mainly on plants – forest fruits, mushrooms, shoots of herbs and shrubs, but also on carrion. When they accumulate sufficient fat reserves, they create a den where they usually sleep from November to March.

Every two years, a female bear gives birth to 1 to 3 cubs in the lair, which remain under the care of their mother for a year and a half. Adult individuals weigh about 300 kilograms and live up to 50 years. In Poland, bears are under strict protection, and their main refuge is the Bieszczady Mountains. Currently, there are about 50-60 bears living in the Tatra Mountains, of which there are a dozen or so individuals on the Polish side.