Olle Rova, who runs ICA Sigvards, showed the film of the bear to customers on Tuesday. "It turned out that more people had seen the bear" (Archive image)
It was on Tuesday morning that Olle Rova caught sight of the exciting scene in his car's rearview mirror.
– I immediately saw that it was a bear, so I went out and filmed it, he said.
When he arrived at his job at ICA Sigvards, which he runs, he showed the video to several customers.
– They told me that others had also seen bears out there in Höglandsnäs and Hortlax, he added.
Olle Rova, who moved to Höglandsnäs and took over the store in Roknäs three years ago, had not seen a bear before and described it as an impressive encounter.
– But it's a bit unsettling when they come so close. We often go out with our children and play in the forest, but I don't think we'll do that in the coming days. Even though the bear is probably more afraid of us than we are of it, it still feels a bit scary.
How big was the bear?
– When you look at the video, it seems quite small. I'm not a bear expert, but I would guess it's a few years old. I hope it has been separated from its mother, so she isn't nearby too.
The bear is being widely discussed in various Facebook groups for Hortlax and Höglandsnäs. Petra Lindgren, who runs Maggan's Jungle Kiosk in Hortlax, saw the bear for the first time on Saturday evening near the summer cottage next to Avan. She saw it again on Tuesday morning.
– It was heading towards the cottage. I took a picture of it, but then it ran to the right, so I called and alerted Avans Lantbruk, who have cows, says Petra.
The bear was running across a field in Höglandsnäs when Petra Lindgren got a picture of it.
Shortly afterwards, she spotted another bear in her yard.
– It appeared slightly larger. It could be the same bear, but I don't think it was. It was moving very slowly. It might be a mother bear in the process of separating from her yearling," says Petra, who found the bear encounter a bit unsettling.
– Of course, bears are allowed in the forest, but it's not pleasant when they come this close to residential areas. I think about all the families with children in the area.
Avans Lantbruk, which will release their cows on Saturday, contacted the County Administrative Board on Tuesday after receiving information about one or possibly two bears moving in the area.
- I was a little concerned, but the county administrative officer reassured me and said that it is highly unusual for a bear to attack cows. Bears typically do not hunt in groups, and they are also wary of electric fences. He calmed my nerves and advised us to proceed with releasing the animals as planned.