A hiker has sadly died after falling into a 2,600-foot ravine. Far from just an accident, a brown bear actually pushed the hiker to his death. The incident happened near a ravine in Greece.
Both Christos Stavrianidis and Dimitris Kioroglou were hiking in the Fraktos forest on June 9. That's when they were both attacked by a large brown bear, according to the Greek newspaper, Kathimerini. The animal appeared out of no where and attacked the two. Sadly, it killed Stavrianidis by pushing him to his death.
Brown Bear Attacks Man Causing Him To Fall To Death
"I suddenly saw a bear which attacked me," Kioroglou told news portal NewsIT.
"I didn't have time to react, that's the truth. My dog ??got in the way and gave me two to three seconds to get the pepper spray out. I sprayed [the bear]," Kioroglou said, per the outlet. "[The bear] ran away, went to Christos, who was on the edge of the cliff. She gave him a push and he fell down."
Meanwhile, Kioroglou survived the encounter. He managed to climb a tree to avoid the brown bear. He finally managed to call for help.
Panos Stefanou, a spokesperson for Arcturos, a non-profit wildlife organization, doesn't believe the bear intentionally tried to kill the hiker. Instead, it likely pushed the hiker as a defensive measure. "This is more a defensive behavior, not an attack. The bear is trying to push back what it sees as a threat," he said.
There are around 450 to 500 brown bears living in Greece. Sadly, the death came in the middle of an adventure. Both hikers were headed towards the remains of a downed warplane that was several decades old. Stavrianidis had discovered the plane last August. He was trying to find a more accessible route to the plane so others could see.
"It's a beautiful discovery that deserves to be viewed on location ... the fuselage is nearly intact," he said last year. "It's a treasure of nature and should be left (in the forest)."
Sadly, the adventure resulted in his death after he tragically plunged to his death.
