Practical jokes are a speciality for 13-year-old Oliver Biskupic. So when he shouted, 'Dad, watch out – a bear!' as they cycled together last Sunday, his father Filip ignored him. His reaction was understandable. After all, the pair were pedalling along a busy towpath in the centre of Liptovsky Mikulas, and though brown bears are often seen in the surrounding forests, they had never been known to stray into this scenic Slovakian town, framed by the snow-capped Tatra mountains.Seconds after his son's warning, however, the transport manager realised it had been in deadly earnest. Hit from behind with the force of a tank, Mr Biskupic was thrown from his bike, landing on his back. When he looked up in a daze, the 16-stone bear loomed over him.As Oliver watched in distress, the young male bear began to bite and scratch at his father with his knife-sharp claws. 'My instinct was to cover my face and neck with my hands and kick up as hard as I could,' said Mr Biskupic.
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