Following a bear attack on farmers in Morochów on Tuesday, May 5, local officials are demanding urgent government intervention to address the growing threat to residents in Podkarpacie.
Incident in Morochów
Marek Bańkowski reported that on Tuesday, May 5, a bear attacked farmers building a cattle fence in the village of Morochów, located in the Zagórz commune of Podkarpackie Voivodeship. The predator attacked despite the noise of the work, suggesting that traditional sound deterrence methods are no longer effective as the animals lose their natural fear of humans. The farmers survived the encounter by taking shelter in a vehicle.
Mayor Demands Bear Be Shot
The Bukowsko commune is demanding the elimination of the animal, but Mayor Marek Bańkowski claims he has received no response from the General Directorate for Environmental Protection or the Ministry of Climate and Environment. He has questioned decision-makers in Warsaw, asking how many more incidents must occur before the real threat to residents’ lives is treated as a priority.
Dorożała on Proposed Solutions
Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment Mikołaj Dorożała informed Radio ESKA that the General Directorate for Environmental Protection has prepared an amendment to the nature protection act. The project includes 16 million PLN for telemetry, with over 80 percent of the funding coming from European funds, to facilitate bear monitoring in the Bieszczady mountains similar to the system used in Tatra National Park.
In addition to telemetry, the amendment proposes subsidies for residents to purchase special trash bins to prevent animals from scavenging food. It also proposes the establishment of a special intervention group to deter bears from residential areas, though Dorożała emphasized that killing an individual animal should remain a last resort.
Death of a Woman in Płonna
The attack in Morochów occurred just 10 km from a tragic incident in Płonna on April 23. A 58-year-old woman, who had gone into the forest with her son to search for antlers, was attacked by a bear; she was found with head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.