Seasoned Hiker Dies After Bear Pushes Him Into Ravine
What was supposed to be a routine hike turned deadly for a man in Greece on Monday.
Christos Stavrianidis, a reportedly experienced hiker, was in Fraktou forest in northeastern Greece with his friend Dimitris Kioroglou, another hiking veteran, when tragedy struck. The two encountered a bear a few meters away from them when it began to attack.
'I didn't have time to react, that's the truth. My dog got in the way and gave me 2-3 seconds to get the pepper spray out. I sprayed her [the bear]. She ran away, went to Christos [the other hiker] who was on the edge of the cliff. She gave him a push and he fell down,' Kioroglou told the Greek newspaper, Kathimerini.
Kioroglou, who credited his dog intervening with giving him the extra time necessary to escape, managed to take shelter in a tree and eventually called for help.
Stavrianidis, meanwhile, fell down the 2,600-foot ravine. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to Agence France-Presse.
The two men were reportedly hiking toward the remains of a Greek war plane that crashed in the area roughly 70 years ago.
Spyros Psaroudas, a general coordinator of the environmental organization Kallisto, spoke with TV ERT and said the bear was likely "surprised" by the climbers.
"Condolences to the man's family, he was a nature lover, in love with this area, he had visited it repeatedly and there is no doubt that what happened is something tragic that has shocked us all," Psaroudas said. "The animal was obviously surprised by the climbers. The use of spray is often recommended, but not in our country because it is illegal, but in countries like Canada or the United States, climbers are required to have such sprays, which are used to repel the animal.
"Bears, like any other animal, feel the dog as an intruder in their space. However, we cannot know the sequence of events."
Our thoughts and prayers are with Stavrianidis' family and friends during this difficult time.
Seasoned Hiker Dies After Bear Pushes Him Into Ravine first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 10, 2025
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