Three new bears have been spotted in Hungary, it has been reported.
A European brown bear and her two cubs were sighted along with multiple tracks around the northern border.
"The movement of bears has continued in our region. Just recently, I have been informed about a female that has two cubs," said Péter Gombkötő, zoological officer of the Bükk National Park Directorate to Magyar Idők.
Gombkötő said that they knew of at least three bears moving within their territory, and there could be more in the area.
A male bear named Robi first appeared in Nógrád county in Northern Hungary earlier this year and was captured by specialists near the southern border in Csongrád county, following an almost 300 kilometer trek. The bear was temporarily kept in Szeged Zoo, then it was returned to nature near the border with Slovakia.
Another bear with its cub or cubs entered Hungarian territory by the river Sajó and turned south at the village Kál. It was spotted near several Hungarian towns, and once in Romania near the town of Arad, after it crossed the eastern border. Since then, no information has been released about the animal.
Although the mating season is over, there’s a chance of new animals appearing in the Northern Medium Mountains. They could even head south again, as passage among bear populations of the Carpathians is possible, Gombkötő said.
There are only about 17,000 brown bears left in Europe. There are an estimated 7,200 bears living in the Carpathians, 6,000 of those reside in Romania.