Veteran hiker dies after bear attack in Greek forest
The bear was likely just defending itself, according to a wildlife group. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: AFP
THESSALONIKI, Greece – A veteran Greek hiker died on June 10 in a ravine fall in the north of the country after a bear encounter, rescuers have said.
Mr Christos Stavrianidis was declared dead at Kavala hospital shortly after he was found in the 800m ravine in Fraktou forest in north-eastern Greece, the Ekav national emergency centre said.
Mr Stavrianidis was in the forest with another experienced hiker, Mr Dimitris Kioroglou, when the incident happened on June 9.
'I suddenly saw a bear which attacked me,' Mr Kioroglou told news portal NewsIT.
'My dog delayed it for a few seconds. I used pepper spray, and it headed to where my friend was and knocked him into the ravine,' he said.
Mr Panos Stefanou, spokesman for Greece wildlife group Arcturos, said the bear was likely defending itself.
'This is more a defensive behaviour, not an attack. The bear is trying to push back what it sees as a threat,' he told state TV ERT.
The hikers were heading towards the remains of a Greek warplane that crashed in the area some seven decades earlier.
Mr Stavrianidis found the plane deep in the forest last August. He was leading efforts to identify a more accessible route to its location to enable more people to visit the wreckage.
'It's a beautiful discovery that deserves to be viewed on location… The fuselage is nearly intact,' he told a local journalist in 2024.
'It's a treasure of nature and should be left (in the forest),' he said. AFP
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