The woman’s body was found in a forest in Slovakia’s Low Tatras Mountains.

In a shocking incident, a woman has reportedly died after being chased by a bear in Slovakia. British Broadcasting Corporation. The 31-year-old man from Belarus was walking with a male friend when he was attacked by the animal.

Officials from the Slovak Mountain Rescue Service said the woman’s body was recovered from a forest in Slovakia’s Low Tatras mountains, where there are deep ravines and dense woodland.

Reports said the man and woman ran away in different directions. The two were allegedly chased while walking in the Demanovska Valley, according to Slovak officials. Search and rescue dogs discovered the woman’s body shortly after her partner called for help.

When officials discovered her body, the bear was so close to her that Mountain Rescue Team fired multiple bullets to drive it away. But it is unclear whether the woman was bitten to death by a wild animal or fell to her death.

Although brown bears are widely distributed in eastern and northeastern Europe, they are primarily found in the Carpathian Mountains through Romania, Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine.

According to researchers, there are 1,275 bears in Slovakia. Bear attacks have increased in the country, with 2021 seeing one of the worst attacks in more than a century.

The country’s brown bear population is a contentious political issue as Slovakia’s recently elected populist nationalist government wants the European Union to reduce environmental protections for predators such as wolves and bears.

Environmental groups including the Slovak Wildlife Association and the World Wildlife Fund oppose any proposals to reduce the number of brown bears in the country.