Residents of the town of Neapoli in Kozani, northwest Greece, were surprised this week to see two bears wandering near residential areas, according to local media reports and video footage circulating online.
The incident reportedly occurred near the old army camp on the outskirts of Neapoli, a small town located southwest of the city of Kozani and close to the forested mountain zones of the Pindus mountain range — one of Greece’s most important habitats for brown bears.
According to local outlet Kozanimedia, a resident encountered the carnivores while taking an evening walk along the road leading toward Kallistrati, a sparsely populated settlement surrounded by agricultural fields and woodland. The witness said the bears suddenly appeared in front of him near the first homes of the town.
Video footage shows two bears — one visibly larger, likely an adult female — calmly crossing a rural road close to residential properties, apparently undisturbed by nearby human activity.
The Kozani regional unit, together with neighboring areas such as Kastoria, Florina, and Grevena, lies within the southernmost range of the brown bear population in Europe, centered around the Pindus mountain range. Environmental organizations, including Arcturos, have documented a steady rise in sightings near inhabited areas in northern Greece.
In recent months alone, bears have reportedly entered schoolyards in Kastoria, appeared in cemeteries near Kozani prefecture villages, and even crossed roads and lakes in the wider region.
