Slovenia: Bear lightly injures dog walker, amid cull debate

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — A bear has attacked and bitten a man walking his dog in a village south of Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana, authorities said Wednesday.

The man suffered a minor leg injury in the attack around 7.30 on Wednesday morning in Želimlje, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Ljubljana, municipal authorities said.

The bear went back into the forest, where logging is currently taking place. Slovenia is an Alpine country covered in forests.

Slovenia has been engulfed in a debate over the need for an organized culling of bears, amid demands that their population be lowered from the current 1,100 to around 800.

Wednesday’s incident comes after two bears collided with cars on roads in central Slovenia last week in two separate accidents. One of the animals died and the other ran away injured.