Greece brown bear encounters fuel village backlash

Rising brown bear encounters in northern Greece have fuelled fear among residents and farmers and a dispute with conservationists over how to manage a recovering protected species.

Greek authorities counted 900 brown bears in the mountainous Western Macedonia region in a 2025 survey, almost twice the number recorded six years earlier. The increase follows hunting bans and other conservation efforts.

In Kastoria prefecture, forestry services received more than 300 complaints from citizens reporting bears in residential areas between 2025 and last month. Residents described bears entering yards, damaging crops and appearing near schools and village centres.

The dispute intensified in June when three bears were found dead in two days in Western Macedonia, according to wildlife groups Arcturos and Kallisto. Two had gunshot wounds, while Arcturos said a recently rewilded young female bear appeared to have eaten poisoned bait.

Iason Bantios, spokesperson for Kallisto, said concerns about bear damage were understandable but should not be used to promote lethal and illegal methods. Arcturos director Alexandros Karamanlidis said Greece's success in protecting wildlife had created new obligations to manage interactions between animals and humans.