Updated on: May 19, 2026 / 6:50 AM EDT — CBS/AFP
A 35-year-old man was found dead Saturday in Vitosha Nature Park, the mountainous area just outside Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, authorities said. A forensic doctor and a big-game expert concluded the injuries were inflicted by a female brown bear accompanied by her cub.
The body was discovered near a road that links two chalets in the northwestern sector of Vitosha, about a half-hour drive from Sofia. Police said they will increase patrols in the area, install camera traps and conduct drone flights to monitor the perimeter.
Vitosha is a popular destination for hikers and is home to deer, roe deer, wild boar, wolves and an estimated 18–20 bears. Bulgarian interior ministry officials reminded the public to travel in groups when possible, make noise while moving through the forest and avoid leaving food waste behind.
“The brown bear naturally avoids contact with humans,” police said, but added that aggressive behavior can occur during sudden encounters, in the presence of cubs or when an animal feels threatened.
Fatal bear attacks are rare in Bulgaria; the last recorded case dated to 2010 in the Rhodope Mountains. Neighboring Romania, where human-bear encounters are more frequent, authorized the culling of nearly 500 bears in 2024 after a deadly attack on a 19-year-old woman as part of efforts to reduce what officials described as an overpopulation of the protected species.