Great turmoil and indignation prevails in Doliana Zagori after a bear attack on an elderly village resident in his own yard. Specifically, this incident came after a long period where the bear, according to testimonies, was roaming through the village and residents were forced to carry firecrackers to scare it away.
Zagori: “We can’t walk in our own village, the bear fears nothing”
“We can’t walk on the cobblestone streets of our own village. The bear wasn’t afraid of anything,” said the village President to Epiruspost. However, no one could believe it would enter the yard of a house with lights on. Human voices didn’t frighten it, and the elderly man suddenly found himself struck by the wild animal, which threw him into a three-meter-deep ditch.
Residents are distressed, and those who spend winter in Athens or Ioannina are hastening their return. Bears during this period hunt for grapes and walnuts. Food has become scarce, so they even reach yards searching for it. “Similar problems affect all villages. People are decreasing, wild animals reach settlements. Bears are becoming more numerous year by year,” states Zagori Mayor Georgios Soukouvelos. The Municipality and Doliana Community have already informed the Protected Areas Management Unit (former Northern Pindos Authority), while other environmental organizations are also aware of both this specific incident and the broader problems with bears.
