Western Macedonia has been shaken by the back-to-back killing of three bears within the span of just a few days, among them young Kirki, a bear that had been under the care of the nonprofit wildlife organization Arcturos.
In the wake of the incidents, the Panhellenic Federation for the Environment, Animals and Hunting “Nemesis” announced a reward of 3,000 euros for information leading to those responsible. According to a post by the Federation on Facebook, anyone with reliable information is invited to come forward, with a guarantee of full confidentiality. The announcement also refers to “hunting websites and individual hunters as moral instigators” of the killings, a claim that has triggered strong reactions.
Arcturos, in a statement issued today, pointed to the absence of organized prevention and timely intervention by the relevant authorities, stressing that the deaths of the animals expose serious gaps in wildlife management.
The Three Incidents
Two of the bears were killed by gunshot, while Kirki died after consuming a poisoned bait. The first incident took place in Pylori, Kozani, where a bear cub just two and a half months old was found dead, having been shot in the back.
The second incident involved a large male bear, eight years old, also found shot dead in Armenochori, Florina. The third and most devastating case concerns Kirki, who had been seriously injured in a traffic accident in August 2025 near Dispilio, Kastoria.
The environmental organization Callisto had found and cared for the animal before transferring it to Arcturos for rehabilitation. Just days ago, the young bear had been released back into the wild in good health. On June 13, however, she was found dead in the Kolchiki area of Florina. The Arcturos team located her via GPS when they noticed she had remained motionless in the same spot for several hours.
Arcturos Responds
In a statement addressing all three incidents, Arcturos wrote: “Three bears dead in two days. One of them was Kirki, the young bear that Arcturos cared for and reintroduced to the wild just a few months ago.”
The organization emphasized that these losses are not isolated incidents but a tragic testament to the absence of meaningful management of human-wildlife coexistence. It called on the state to immediately implement the measures provided for by law and to investigate the criminal acts involved, noting that “these actions must not, once again, go unpunished.”
