Terrifying moment bear chases pedestrian down street of European town (video)

Shocking footage has emerged showing a massive bear chasing a pedestrian down a street in Slovakia before lunging at the person in a terrifying encounter.

The video, captured on a mobile phone in the centre of Liptovský Mikuláš, depicts the bear charging down the street in pursuit of the individual. The pedestrian can be seen frantically scaling a fence in an attempt to escape the bear, which is rapidly closing in.

Just in the nick of time, the person manages to climb over the fence, leaving the bear visibly agitated as it leaps toward the barrier in frustration. However, the bear doesn't give up, continuing its rampage and colliding with an unsuspecting man walking down the street.

Following the incident, reports confirmed that two individuals were hospitalized after the bear attack. A 49-year-old woman suffered a shoulder injury, while a 72-year-old man sustained a head gash during the encounter with the predator.

Emergency Services swiftly responded by deploying police officers to drive the wild bear out of the urban area and guide it back into the forest, ensuring the safety of Slovakian civilians.

This incident is the latest in a series of concerning bear encounters in Eastern Europe. On the previous day, a tragic incident occurred in Belarus, where a woman fell to her death while trying to escape a brown bear in the Low Tatra mountains. The 31-year-old woman was hiking with a companion when the bear attacked, leading to a fatal outcome.

Reports note that Slovakia has witnessed several bear attacks in recent years due to the improved environmental protections in Central and Eastern Europe. Bears have been returning to their natural habitats across the Carpathian mountain range, with some advocating for looser protections to manage the rising bear population through hunting.

Despite discussions about controlling bear numbers, researchers emphasize that Slovakia's bear population has remained stable, estimated at around 1,275 individuals.