A gusty wind blowing in Podhale accelerated the thawing of Tatra lakes. – There is no ice at all on Morskie Oko anymore – says Grzegorz Bryniarski, forester of the Morskie Oko Protection District. – The lake thawed earlier than in previous years. I remember that two years ago it also thawed faster, on April 13, but this year it was ten days earlier. On April 3, there was no trace of ice – says the forester. This was caused not only by the warm winter, but also by the strong wind that had recently blown in Podhale. Halny is a gusty, warm and dry foehn wind. It occurs quite often in mountainous regions, especially in early spring and autumn. – Gusts of wind pressed strongly against the surface of the lake. Ice “he danced” on the water – tells Interia Grzegorz Bryniarski, forester of the Morskie Oko Protection District. – The ice floes began to crack and within one day and part of the night, the ice sheet crumbled and began to flow down the Rybi Potok. I don't remember anything like this ever happening, the forester admits.
In frosty and snowy winters, the ice sheet on Morskie Oko can be up to 80 cm thick. This year, winter came quickly, the lake froze in November, but began to open in December. – I think that this year the ice thickness did not exceed 40 cm due to the weak winter and the lack of temperatures below 15 – 20 degrees – says the TPN forester.
The remaining Tatra lakes are still thawing, so the Tatra National Park appeals not to step on the ice, which is very thin in many places and may break down at any time.
Recently, there have been several dramatic events involving bears on the Slovak side of the Tatra Mountains. The animal attacked a 35-year-old forester. The man was taken to hospital with serious wounds. In mid-March, a bear was running through the streets of Liptovský Mikuláš. The animal attacked passers-by, five people were injured. A few days later the bear was shot. The most tragic accident occurred on March 15 in the Low Tatras, in the area of Siná near the Demänovská Ice Cave. A 31-woman fell from a height of 150 meters while trying to escape from a bear.
There are currently about 70 bears living in the Tatra Mountains. – The bear knows no boundaries – says Tomasz Zając from the Tatra National Park in an interview with Interia. – The same bear that was in the Kościeliska Valley and was running near the shelter may be on the Slovak side a moment later. There is no such concept as a Polish or Slovak bear, he adds.
Even though the bear is the largest land predator, the maximum weight of Carpathian individuals exceeds 350 kg, it does not hunt humans. – We have many examples where these animals are close to the trails, but are not interested in people – says Tomasz Zając from TPN. – There are situations where a bear will attack, but this should be treated as an exception, not a rule – he adds. A bear is not a teddy bear, remind the foresters of the Tatra National Park, and tourists are only guests in its area. If you encounter a bear, stay calm and slowly move away in the opposite direction. – You can't run away. Over a short distance, a bear can accelerate up to 50 km/h. – says Tomasz Zając from TPN. – For comparison, the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt, reached a speed of 42 km/h in his record run. By running away, we will provoke a bear attack – he adds. – If you are close to an animal, lie down on the ground, pretend to be dead, cover your head with a backpack to protect it – advises the TPN educator. – After one attack attempt, the bear will probably leave. These are extreme situations. The second dangerous situation in which an animal may attack is as if we came between a mother bear and its cubs – says Tomasz Zając.
Tourists in the Tatra Mountains are not always reasonable and their behavior creates dangerous situations. – They approach animals and take close-up photos. Three years ago, a tourist wanted to record a video with a bear, lured it, and even though the animal showed signs that it did not like it by standing on two legs, the man continued to record. Finally the animal attacked. It was a 100% man-provoked attack, says Tomasz Zając from TPN.
– Let us remember that when traveling the trails of the Tatra National Park, we are in the territory of these animals, so if we go after dark or before dawn, it is feeding time and then the bear may not notice you, treat you as an intruder and attack – warns the TPN educator.
Dziurka, a bear, lives in the Morskie Oko Protection District. – Our Dziurka has already woken up – says Grzegorz Bryniarski, TPN forester. – When she was young, she probably ran into something or fought with another bear and has a hole between her eyes and the tip of her nose, which is why we call her that – says the forester. – We don't know if it has any cubs, we haven't seen them yet.