A Bear in the Backyard

1.20 am. A big brown bear making a noise outside the window. Prowls majestically around the sun umbrellas and the grapevine. Then, alerted, he runs back down the stone steps to the small orchard. Before (or after) coming up the steps, he breaks branches from a plum tree and an apple tree. The plums and apples weren't even ripe. But he seems to have cleared up most of the fallen, slightly rotting windfall.

The local dogs have been distracted and barking for a few days now, and chasing off into the dark to explore and follow the scent of bears.

Advice for future reference: how to escape from a bear.

It may come in handy.

BBC News - What should you do if you encounter a bear?

Recent bear attack (15 July), in Greek (enikos.gr)

Later I learn that a mother bear and a smaller bear were spotted on the outskirts of the other end of the village, at around the same time.

Brown bear and cub in Zagori

Species: Ursus arctos arctos

On Bear Conservation in Greece (pdf)

Road deaths on the Egnatia Highway (Kathimerini)

Another bear killed

Bear shot in Kalambaka

Abandoned orchards

Orthodox Priest with bears (photo)