Man suffers minor injuries in rare bear attack near Plitivce Lakes

A man was attacked by a bear in the Plitvice Lakes area on Friday evening. 

Boško Čuić was out for his evening walk in the village of Čuić Krčevina when a bear suddenly rushed at him and bit his hand. Luckily, the 64-year-pčd suffered only minor injuries.

"I went for an evening walk around 10:30 pm. I was on my way back, when about 800 meters from my home, a bear ran right at me from behind a tree. I tried to retreat but he knocked me to the ground and bit my right hand. After he did that, he suddenly ran off back into the woods. I went to call for help and now I'm in the hospital,” said Čuić.

Chief Administrator of Gospić General Hospital Sandra Čubelić said the patient was recovering well.

"The patient was admitted last night after a bear attack. He has some light wounds. As our nurses say, luckily he's from Lika and he came out of it with only some scratches to the face and a wound on his right hand,” said Čubelić.

In recent years, bears who live in the national park have been coming to local villages to look for food. Locals have seen them turning over trash cans in their search. It has become a growing concern in the community. However, until now, no one had been attacked by the bears.