Young female brown bear found shot dead in Greece's Prespa National Park on 27 October

The discovery

A young female brown bear, about two years old and weighing more than 60 kilograms, was found dead in Prespa National Park. A visitor alerted the park's management unit of OFYPEKA, the Greek agency for the natural environment and climate change, on the morning of Tuesday, 27 October 2026. The bear was in the wider Vrontero area of Prespa Municipality. Staff from the management unit, the Florina Forest Directorate and the environmental group Callisto went to the site, and a private veterinarian carried out the necropsy.

What the post-mortem found

The examination found three wounds from a firearm projectile on the left side of the body. Two were in the left thigh and were not fatal. The third, low on the abdomen, caused extensive internal bleeding and led to the animal's death. The shot is estimated to have been fired from a relatively short distance.

Legal protection and population

The brown bear is strictly protected under Greek, European and international law, including the Forest Code, the EU Habitats Directive, the Bern Convention and CITES. Killing or injuring a bear is a criminal offence, and the forest service and local prosecutors are responsible for investigating such cases. The area where the bear was found is an important ecological corridor for the species between Greece and Albania. According to this year's research by the Arktouros organisation, the Greek brown bear population doubled between 2019 and 2025 to about 900 individuals.

Concerns about impunity

Iason Bantios, press officer of Callisto, said illegal killings are not a rare occurrence. He described a vicious circle of impunity in which cases are not investigated thoroughly and perpetrators are not brought to justice. He added that the problem also covers poisoned baits, which often kill protected species.

“Unfortunately, illegal killing is not a rare incident.”

In a joint statement, Callisto and OFYPEKA called the killing a serious environmental crime that must be investigated by the competent authorities and the justice system. Both bodies said illegal poaching remains one of the most serious threats to the species in Greece despite protection measures applied in recent years.

“The killing of a bear constitutes a serious environmental crime, and every related incident must be investigated by the competent authorities and the justice system.”