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Summary for: Bear caught on camera roaming Beskydy near Czech-Polish borderA bear has been roaming the forests around Nýdek in the Frýdek-Místek district for several weeks, according to images captured by hunters’ camera traps.
The animal was photographed near the foot of Čantoryje mountain, close to the Czech-Polish border. It has not approached the village, threatened anyone, or caused any reported damage, Novinky.cz reports.
The municipality of Nýdek published the images on social media after receiving them from the Beskyd–Nýdek hunting association.
Young bear may be searching for territory
Nýdek Mayor Marek Hota said the bear first appeared in the area around three weeks ago when it visited a site containing apples.
Based on the photographs, Hota believes it may be a young animal around 18 months old. He pointed to what appears to be part of a white collar still visible in its coat but stressed that this was only his informal assessment.
Local hunters similarly believe it is a younger bear searching for its own territory.
Camera traps recorded the animal in the Nýdek Gora area near the Čantoryje National Nature Reserve. It was subsequently photographed by other cameras around Malá Čantoryje, indicating that it is continuing to move through the landscape.
“It is probably looking for somewhere to feed,” one hunter told Novinky.cz.
So far, the bear has eaten apples, oats, and food placed out for hoofed game. Hunters do not expect it to enter the village.
Hota said residents were responding calmly, with some jokingly referring to the animal as “our bear.”
Up to five bears may be near Czech border
Bears occasionally wander into the Czech Beskydy from neighboring Slovakia, particularly from the Kysuce and Orava regions. Some remain temporarily before returning to quieter areas across the border.
The Beskydy Protected Landscape Area Administration confirmed recent bear activity in the region. Zoologist Danuše Bartošová said evidence suggests that two animals may currently be moving through the Beskydy, although they spend more time in remote areas on the Slovak side.
Miroslav Kutal of Mendel University and the Hnutí DUHA Šelmy conservation program said bears were also confirmed near Rožnov pod Radhoštěm and Mosty u Jablunkova this year.
Those sightings may involve the same animal now photographed near Nýdek.
Conservationists are also monitoring a female with cubs on the Slovak side of the Javorníky mountains. Including those animals, Kutal estimated that four or five bears could currently be present around the Czech-Slovak border region.
Camera traps and tracks are being used to monitor their movements. Kutal said the Czech landscape contains enough inaccessible forest for a bear to find shelter and potentially spend the winter, meaning animals seen in the region are not necessarily only passing through.
