In a heart-stopping encounter captured on camera, a man in Slovakia was forced to defend himself with a hatchet after accidentally coming between a mother bear and her cubs in the forest.
The dramatic footage, recorded by a camera trap in the Zilina region on March 21, shows what began as a peaceful walk quickly turning into a life-threatening situation. The man, identified only as Peter, was hiking with his dog when he suddenly encountered a female bear accompanied by three young cubs and one adult cub.
Despite his experience with bears and attempts to make his presence known by whistling and making noise, the mother bear did not retreat as expected. Instead, she charged directly at him.
The video shows Peter initially using bear spray, which momentarily deterred the animal. However, the protective mother quickly returned for a second charge, forcing Peter to use the hatchet he had brought to clear brush from the trail. The footage clearly shows him striking the bear’s head, causing the animal to flee.
“I hid behind a tree, and every time she ran out at me, I hit her on the head,” Peter recounted after the frightening encounter. “If I hadn’t had that axe, she would have killed me there.”
According to reports, the confrontation continued even after the recorded footage ended, with Peter repeatedly defending himself with his hatchet until the bear finally retreated into the forest. The extent of the bear’s injuries remains unclear.
Peter, who has reportedly encountered and photographed bears many times before, expressed concern that the injured bear might become more aggressive in future encounters.
This incident comes amid news from Yellowstone National Park in the United States, where the first grizzly bear sightings of 2025 have been reported as the animals emerge from hibernation. Wildlife photographer Trent Sizemore recently captured footage of a large grizzly moving through snow near West Yellowstone, Montana, marking the official start of grizzly-watching season in the region.
The National Park Service confirmed that fresh grizzly tracks had been spotted in the northern section of Yellowstone, with large males typically being the first to emerge from hibernation in early-to-mid March.
