Camera traps will be set in the Blagoevgrad region because of a young bear, filmed at night crossing a city street. The animal has not yet been found, and forestry officials are checking the neighboring forest area.
The recording was made by a security camera, and its owner has confirmed that the video was not manipulated. According to information from BNT, the bear was also filmed by cameras of other residents in the area.
“The bear was also spotted on the cameras of other neighbors. So it really did pass through this city area at night“, explained the director of the Regional Forestry Directorate Ivan Gerin. According to him, officials are conducting a patrol to determine if there are any signs of the animal's movement.
There is no confirmation that the animal was accompanied by an adult bear. Gerin assumes that it is about a year old and has already been separated from its mother. According to him, the bear probably entered the city in search of food and was frightened by the noises in the urban environment.
“Most likely, by the time it realized that it had already entered the urban area, it felt scared by some noise and was looking for a way out as quickly as possible“, Gerin said. In the footage, the animal moves quickly across the street and appears frightened.
Engineer Petko Angelov from the Southwestern State Enterprise said that camera traps will be set up to check whether the bear is still in the area.
The expert specified that there is a risk when a wild animal enters a populated area, but the bear's behavior does not show signs of aggression. The aim of the actions taken is to keep the animal away from the urban area and avoid meeting people.
In the event of a possible encounter with the bear, citizens should remain calm, move away carefully and not try to approach or scare it.