#arcturos

The Greek Shepherd, the dog which has been bred for centuries for guarding livestock in the mountainous regions of the country, is now in danger of extinction, experts are warning.

The decline of livestock farming, along with an increase in uncontrolled interbreeding with other dogs, have altered the Greek Shepherd’s distinctive characteristics. It has been estimated that currently, fewer than 3,000 pure Greek Shepherd dogs remain in Greece.

They are considered brave, decisive, and loyal working dogs with a highly developed sense of duty and a strong protective instinct toward herd animals and their territory. These independent dogs, however, need consistent training and intelligent guidance.

The Greek Shepherd is a medium to large size dog, with a solid body and great physical strength, capable of not only guiding the herd but also fighting with an enemy while maintaining its physical superiority. Its head is massive, featuring a large muzzle.

Honor (2/?)

One-year-old orphan bears Bradley and Cooper were released into the wild on Saturday after being trained on how to make it on their own.

The 16-month old yearlings were tagged and released by the environmental group Arcturos, who run a bear sanctuary in Florina in northern Greece.

“It is like having a child and suddenly telling him: ‘It’s time for you to leave home and get an education on your own.’

“But you do it with joy because you know that the home where we were, was not their normal home, and they should return to nature because that is where they should be,” said Arcturos Scientific Coordinator Alexandros Karamalidis, who released the bears.

Since cubs they have been trained on how to find food on their own in the forest, how to make a nest for the winter, and other basic survival skills that their mother would have taught them, said Arcturos caretaker Melina Avgerinou, who has been their trainer and bottle-fed them when they were four months old.

“It is sad that they do not have the possibility to grow up with their mother because that is what is really important, for them to be where they belong.

One of the two young bears released by wildlife sanctuary Arcturos last week was transferred back to the shelter, after it became evident he would unable to adapt to life in the wild.

According to the shelter’s announcement, locals discovered Cooper’s location after a video of him was shared on social media and started bringing him food, thus eliminating any possibility that the bear would learn to avoid proximity with humans.

Cooper, who was the weaker of the two animals and weighed just 67 kilos, was found near a dam in the region of Florina, northern Greece.

Brown bears sanctuary Arcturos wildlife protection organization in northern Greece is asking the public for financial support following sharp revenues drop due to the lockdown imposed in the country. Visits have stopped and therefore the revenues, the organization said in a statement.

Arcturos revenues derive exclusively from visits to the environmental centers, the sales of its products and on subscriptions.

Now that visits to Nymfeo shelter are not allowed, a significant part of this revenue stream has dried up and in the coming months, Arcturos will not have the funds to care for the wildlife and other animals at the shelter, the statement stressed.

The sanctuaries in Nymfeo and Agrapidies have currently 23 brown bears, 13 wolves, 25 Greek sheep dogs – which are a breed threatened with dying out – and one deer.

More than 50 dogs were fatally poisoned within the space of 10 days in villages of the regions of Florina and Amyntaio in northern Greece, according to reports received by the Arcturos wildlife protection group, the Hellenic Ornithological Society and the Callisto nature conservation organization from locals and livestock breeders.