“For 50 years no bear has come here” – now it has. What do we do?
In recent years, wild animals — including bears — have been increasingly reported on farmers’ fields. Damage often occurs overnight and can cause huge losses. But in Mătrici, in the area where Mihály works, no bear had entered in the last 40–50 years. That’s why it was shocking when, for the first time, a bear broke into his cornfield — while on his neighbor’s land, where there was an electric fence, the animal avoided the area.
Mihály first learned about the damage from a friend.
“I met a friend who asked me if the bear hadn’t come to my place as well, because at his place, just 30–40 meters from the houses, it had devoured the corn so badly that not even three stalks were left.”
This conversation made him go out to his field to see what was happening. Just a few days earlier there had been no problem, but now the sight was shocking: in three to four nights the bear had destroyed about 40% of the corn.
When we asked him if there had been similar problems before, he answered:
“Together with my parents we’ve been working here for about 40–50 years… every year we’d find some plants knocked down, but until now there was never any problem.”
On his neighbor’s land, however, the situation was completely different. There the corn was protected by an electric fence, and the bear didn’t even try to get in. Drone images show clearly: where there was an electric fence, the crop remained untouched.
Despite the damage, Mihály didn’t wait any longer: on the very same day he fenced the field with an electric fence, to save whatever could still be saved.
The conclusion is clear: action must be taken in time and the crop must be protected, because such damage cannot be repaired afterwards. Since it was still August and harvest was far away, Mihály immediately put into operation NEXON BeastShock 6th GEN 10 J and stretched out three rows of NEXON Industrial electric fence polywire, with 350 kg breaking strength, to protect the standing crop — and at the same time to prepare for the next season.
This story carries a simple but powerful message:
“Where there is no electric fence, wildlife devastates. Where there is one, the crop remains safe.”
