Arcturos

The brown bears in Nymfaio, near Florina, in northern Greece, have entered their winter hibernation following recent colder weather and snow, as announced by Arcturos on Friday.

A mother bear and her two cubs have been shot dead near Konitsa in Greece's Epirus region. The incident was reported to Arcturos, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the brown bear, on Sunday after the lifeless bodies were discovered alongside the road connecting the cities of Ioannina and Kozani.

A young brown bear that sustained a head injury in a collision with a vehicle last month has been returned to the wild, a wildlife protection organisation that cared for her has announced.

Environmental groups are calling on the government to withdraw a bill tabled in Parliament last month which they say will gradually dismantle the protection of Natura 2000 sites.

One of the two young bears released by wildlife sanctuary Arcturos last week was transferred back to the shelter, after it became evident he would unable to adapt to life in the wild.

One-year-old orphan bears Bradley and Cooper were released into the wild on Saturday after being trained on how to make it on their own.

The 16-month old yearlings were tagged and released by the environmental group Arcturos, who run a bear sanctuary in Florina in northern Greece.

A roe deer calf just a few days old was found with a broken leg by hunters on Mount Paiko, in northern Greece, and taken to the Arcturos wildlife shelter for treatment, state-run news agency ANA-MPA reported.

The animal, named Thomas by its saviors, was first taken by the hunters to a vet in Giannitsa.

One year old bear cups, Bradley and Cooper, named after the famous Hollywood star, eat after waking up from winter hibernation, during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, in the village of Nymfaio, located near Florina, in northern Greece. The picture was taken on April, 2020. [Arcturos/Handout via Reuters]

More than 50 dogs were fatally poisoned within the space of 10 days in villages of the regions of Florina and Amyntaio in northern Greece, according to reports received by the Arcturos wildlife protection group, the Hellenic Ornithological Society and the Callisto nature conservation organization from locals and livestock breeders.

The Arcturos brown bear conservation society has reported and condemned the mass poisoning of dogs in the northern Greek region of Florina, where the organization is headquartered.

In a post on social media, Arcturos reported that at least 26 dogs - the majority working dogs belonging to local shepherds - were found poisoned to death in the areas of Sklithro, Aetos and Nymphaio.