Horrible killing of three bears from firearms over the course of a month in nearby points of the district part Florina provoked his angry reaction “Arcturis” and mobilization of the Ministry of the Environment and local authorities. In particular, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, three bears were found shot dead on June 21, August 11 and August 12, the first two in the Agrapidia region and the third in Sklitro. As Arcturos points out, the second bear was actually a young adult who was still in the breastfeeding phase, leaving her cubs unprotected.

Arcturos speaks of a very serious crime against biodiversity, emphasizing that all three bears were killed in the same area, within a radius of one kilometer. By 2022, the number of bears shot will be four, all within Natura territory. The environmental organization called on the competent authorities “not to underestimate the importance of this crime and to launch extensive investigations to identify those responsible, as continued impunity leads, unfortunately, to new killings of protected species.”

In all three cases of bear killings, autopsies were carried out on the ground by the direct intervention team of the Florina Forestry Department, the Arcturus direct intervention team and the municipality of Amintaio.

Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Giorgos Amiras stressed in his statements that “this is a heinous crime against biodiversity. The services of the ministry are in direct cooperation with EL.AS. to clear things up. We will do everything in our power to protect the mammal population, always in cooperation with Arcturos. For his part, Arcturs CEO Dr. Alexandros Karamanlidis, stressing that “Greece’s unique biodiversity is the common heritage of all Greeks and we all have a duty to protect it,” demanded an immediate clarification. cases and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators, as well as the immediate institutionalization of the National Action Plan for the Brown Bear, as well as the introduction of CNU for the approach of bears in settlements.