PRAGUE, July 25 (Xinhua) -- A bear attacked a cyclist on a forest path in northern Slovakia's Zilina region, the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic (SOP) said on Thursday.
The 34-year-old man suffered injuries to his upper and lower limbs during the attack near the town of Turany on Wednesday evening, the SOP said in a statement. "The patient had deep lacerations and a bone fracture and underwent surgery. He is receiving comprehensive treatment and remains hospitalized," it added.
A bear response team from the SOP and local police were on the scene to monitor the site and track the animal. Police urged people to exercise caution in the wild.
Several bear attacks have been reported in Slovakia this year. In March, a bear injured five people in the northern town of Liptovsky Mikulas, drawing significant public and political attention.
Since the beginning of this year, the SOP has registered 793 reports of bear encounters with people. Hunters and bear strike teams have culled 37 bears that posed a risk and became accustomed to humans and their surroundings, the News Agency of the Slovak Republic reported earlier this month. ■
