In less than 10 days, a third bear cub was rescued today by RIEW - Smolyan. The cub was found again in the area near the town of Chepelare in proximity to the main road between Plovdiv and Smolyan. During the rescue, employees from Territorial Branch State Forestry “Juniper” were also involved.

According to the experts from RIEW-Smolyan, most likely the bear cub is a sibling to the one rescued on Friday. The animal was captured without anesthesia. So far the mother of the cubs has not been found.

The Ministry of Environment and Water has contacted the Four Paws Foundation and the cub is already on its way to the Dancing Bear Park in the village of Belitsa, where it will be accommodated and provided with the necessary care.

As early as the first case of a found bear cub, RIEW - Smolyan sent letters to the Regional Directorate of Forestry - Smolyan and the South Central State Enterprise to inspect the areas and to strengthen the control under the Law on Hunting and Game Protection, as well as the verification of permits issued for hunting. As a result, on Friday, eng. Zdravko Bakalov, Director of the South-Central District Police, ordered an inspection of the area, verification of the issued hunting permits, and a review of the recordings from the cameras located near the places where the cubs were found. According to him, at the moment there are no circumstances pointing to poaching.

To solve the issue in its entirety, also due to the frequent occurrence of damages and interactions of bears with humans, a working meeting will be held on Monday between the directors of the RIEW, the South Central State Enterprise, and the Regional Directorate of Forestry.

Measures will be stipulated for enhanced control against poaching, for the protection of the endangered species, as well as the optimization of joint work in case of bear damage to agricultural property.