At the end of September, a bear cub, born last year, fell dead from a poacher’s weapon in the Radosi area, near the Xino Nero village of Florina! The unfortunate bear, which was still at an age where it has not been separated from its mother, was spotted by a local livestock breeder who informed ARKTOUROS. In fact, next to the dead bear were found fresh traces of an adult animal, probably from the mother bear that was with him.
ARKTOUROS representatives rushed to the point indicated by the concerned livestock breeder. Examination of the animal revealed that it had two gunshot wounds, one through the abdomen and one through the chest. The Forest Service of Florina was immediately notified, whose representative arrived to the area.
This is another serious crime against biodiversity! A year ago, unknown persons had killed three more bears in the wider area.
It is worth mentioning, that during this period in the wider region of Amyntaio, the environmental organisations CALLISTO and ARKTOUROS participate in the European project “LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors”. It is an international collaboration between the Netherlands, Italy and Greece, with the aim of conserving the populations of the iconic brown bear in Central Italy and Greece, by maintaining and ensuring the functionality of important movement corridors and connecting the bear populations, and creating “bear smart communities” of coexistence between humans and bears.
The bear is strictly protected by Greek and EU legislation. It is a valuable species of our natural wealth and cultural heritage with an important role in the functioning of the forest ecosystem. The two organisations call on the competent authorities not to underestimate the importance of this event and to proceed immediately with extensive investigations to identify the perpetrator.