A disturbing case of wildlife crime has emerged in northern Greece, where a forestry employee discovered a dead bear that had been shot and decapitated in a mountainous area near Livadero, in the region of Drama.
According to authorities, the Forestry Office, the environmental organization Callisto, and the country’s Natural Environment and Climate Change Organization (NECCA) were immediately alerted, as part of the official rapid-response protocol for incidents involving bears.
A case file has already been opened, and a preliminary investigation is underway to identify those responsible.
A necropsy revealed that the young male bear had been shot twice with a firearm—once in the back and once in the thigh—before its head was removed. Environmental authorities condemned the act, stressing that killing or injuring a bear is a criminal offence under Greek and international law.
In Greece, bears are strictly protected as an endangered species. Their habitats are safeguarded under national forestry legislation as well as European and international agreements, including the Habitats Directive, the Bern Convention and CITES. The species is listed as Endangered in the country’s Red Book of threatened animals.
