Forest rangers in the south-eastern Bieszczady mountains have warned that brown bears roaming the area have become increasingly aggressive recently.

This signals that winter will be long and frosty this year, says Edward Marszalek, from the regional State Forest Office in Krosno.

“A bear chased and caught up with a large stag but the deer probably had a damaged leg. However, it’s quite surprising that the bear also killed a doe, which was in a good condition. Such behavior shows that the bears are very determined to eat to the full and will not be satisfied with berries or larvae of insects,” he told Polish Radio.

About 120 brown bears live in the mountainous region of south-eastern and southern Poland. Studies on their life and behavior are currently under way.

Thanks to fitting them with electronic collars, researchers have established that a single bear tends to occupy a large territory of over one thousand square meters.

They frequently come close to human settlements and tourist routes, so it is good to be on guard while visiting the land of the bear, forest rangers say. (kk)