A veteran hiker has died after it was attacked by a bear and pushed into a 2,600-foot ravine in northeastern Greece, according to local authorities.
The incident took place on Monday, June 9, when Christos Stavrianidis and Dimitris Kioroglou were hiking together in Fraktos, a forest near the border the country shares with Bulgaria.
As reported by local news outlet, Kathimerini, the two men were hiking through the forest hoping to reach an abandoned World War II warplane when a large brown bear suddenly appeared, leaving the men with seconds to respond before Stavrianidis was killed.
"I didn't have time to react, that's the truth. My dog got in the way and gave me two to three seconds to get the pepper spray out. I sprayed [the bear]," Kioroglou said, per the outlet. "[The bear] ran away, went to Christos, who was on the edge of the cliff. She gave him a push and he fell down."
Kioroglou, who survived, climbed a tree and eventually called for help, the outlet reported. Stavrianidis was found in the ravine, taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead from his injuries, per Agence France-Presse.
Panos Stefanou, a spokesperson for Arcturos, a non-profit wildlife organization, told Greek state-run television station, ERT, that the bear was probably trying to protect itself. "This is more a defensive behavior, not an attack. The bear is trying to push back what it sees as a threat," he said.
According to Arcturos, there are likely about 450 to 500 brown bears living in Greece, with the largest populations concentrated in two of Greece's mountain ranges, including Rhodope, where Fraktos is located.
