Murder enquiry launched after Bieszczady killing
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
23.10.2014 12:49
A public prosecutor has claimed that a bear suspected of killing a man in the Bieszczady Mountains is not responsible for the death, and that a murder inquiry may now be launched.
The wooded site where the 61-year-old's body was found. Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
A 61-year-old man from the village of Olszanica was discovered on Monday after a two-day search.
The man's body appeared to have been mauled by a predator, and the corpse was discovered close to where two members of the search team had been attacked by a bear.
However, with the preliminary findings of the autopsy now in, experts have indicated that the bear was not responsible.
“I do not deny that there are wounds on the body which may have been made by a bear, but they were not the cause [of the man's] death,” said Prosecutor of the Lesko Region Maria Chrzanowska in an interview with the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.
“Everything points to this being a murder,” she told local news web site esanok.pl.
“That is the most likely version of events,” she said, noting that further findings from the autopsy are expected soon.
Meanwhile, owing to the fact that the bear attacked two members of the rescue team, the decision to shoot the animal remains valid.
Cameras have been installed to monitor the area after searches for the bear proved fruitless on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Earlier this week, WWF spokesman Pawel Sredzinski noted that “bears are generally not aggressive towards humans,” adding that such incidents can occur when the animal is “under stress.” (nh)