Tourist Dies From Bear Attack: Theories from Karlen Manvelyan

Karlen Manvelyan, the head of the World Wildlife Fund's Armenian office, discussed the tragic incident involving Polish tourists with Sputnik Armenia. Recently, a bear attacked one of the tourists on the road to Aragats, resulting in the death of the tourist.

Manvelyan learned about this unfortunate event through the internet and plans to visit the scene to examine the area in detail. “Nevertheless, we are surprised by the fact that the bear was found at an altitude of 3500 meters, especially since there is no food available in that area during this season. On the contrary, they tend to descend to the forest areas where there are fruits to eat and prepare for winter. Bears usually go up to about 2500 meters, sometimes a bit higher during the summer months, which raises questions regarding the circumstances surrounding the incident,” said Manvelyan.

He suggested that the bear might only be at that altitude if there was an alternative food source available. There are reports of establishments and restaurants in the area that generate garbage, which could have attracted the bear there. “In any case, that is not the bear's natural habitat,” Manvelyan noted.

According to him, a second theory could be that the bear was injured and retreated upwards. Animals comprehend when people are shooting, thus it may have reacted aggressively and attacked the first person it encountered. The third theory suggests that the bear was perhaps with cubs and was attempting to defend them; however, Manvelyan approaches this theory with caution, asserting that bears do not usually venture that high during this season.

Statistics indicate that bears rank first in the number of attacks on humans, with big cats coming in third. Bears are indeed strong animals, but they are also quite timid. “Very often, bears attack out of fear, especially when they have no retreat. In my opinion, it is possible that in that trail, the animal had no way to retreat and therefore attacked the Polish tourists,” he elaborated.

Regardless, the terrain needs thorough examination through both professional and forensic investigations. Nonetheless, Manvelyan emphasizes that bear attacks on people are extremely rare in Armenia, and they usually avoid humans.