Tourists flee bear family in Polish Tatras; Polish hiker hurt fleeing bear in Slovakia

Bear family on a Polish trail

On Friday, 23 October, around 12:00, a family of bears was seen on the trail in Dolina Kościeliska, a popular walking route in the Tatra Mountains. The animals were moving along the same path that tourists were using. The Tatry Official Instagram profile, which received several recordings from witnesses, reported that about 15 minutes later the bears were still walking toward people, and visitors began to scream and run. Footage of the encounter was posted online. According to the profile, the bears later left the trail and moved toward the forest, and the account says no one was reported hurt.

Retreat and fall in Slovakia

On Sunday, 25 October, Slovakia's mountain rescue service, Horská záchranná služba (HZS), received a call around midday asking for help for a 26-year-old Polish citizen. He was hiking with a group on a red-marked trail in the Kvačianska valley (Dolina Kwaczańska) when the group came across a she-bear with cubs. Fearing direct contact with the animal, the hikers ran from the spot. While retreating, the 26-year-old tripped and fell, injuring his arm. Rescuers from the HZS Tatry Zachodnie regional centre and specialists from the Avalanche Prevention and Education Centre reached him, examined him and immobilised the limb. He was then taken by off-road vehicle to the hospital in Liptovský Mikuláš, and the operation gave him the medical care he needed.

What the warnings say

The Tatry Official post urges visitors to stay calm, not to approach the animals, not to run and not to shout, and to back away slowly. It also says people should not cut off a bear's escape route or try to photograph animals up close, and it warns that a bear with cubs can be especially dangerous. The profile asks followers to follow the recommendations of the Tatra National Park (Tatrzański Park Narodowy). TVP Info, citing the portal Kr24.pl, reports that the Slovak hiker's injury came from the fall itself and not from contact with the animal. The same report cites experts who advise against running, because a bear may instinctively give chase.

An earlier fatal flight in the Low Tatras

TVP Info adds that fleeing can be dangerous for another reason. In March 2026, a woman running from a bear in the Lower Tatras (Niżne Tatry) died after falling from a height. The article gives no further details of that case. The two incidents this month took place in different countries, one on the Polish side of the mountains and one in Slovakia, and both involved people who ran from bears.