The report indicates that the attack was unprovoked.

The man, reported to be in his late thirties, told police that he was walking alone on a dirt road when the bear hit him with his arms and bit him. The man made a miraculous escape by fleeing on foot and climbing up a tree.

The bear then left the area and the man was able to creep down from the tree, return home and seek help for his injuries. He was then taken to hospital where he is being treated for his injuries.

The police specially-trained bear hunter team has been dispatched to search for the bear. Residents in the vicinity have been informed and the public have been warned not to walk in the Glamsen area or hike the adjacent Gästrikeleden trail.

According to the coordinator Karl-Bertil Johansson four teams of hunters, with dogs are engaged in the search.

“Forestry workers have reported sightings of the bear in the area over the course of the past three weeks,” according to a reporter for the Aftonbladet daily.

Bear attacks are very rarely fatal in Sweden. Only two people have been killed since 1902 – in Jokkmokk in 2004 and in Jämtland in 2007.

According to figures from the Scandinavian Brown Bear Research Project 31 people have been attacked in Scandinavian between 1977 and the spring 2012.