A new project funded by the European Union has been launched in Bulgaria to determine the exact number of brown bears living in the country. The South Central State Enterprise is carrying out the census by collecting genetic samples from the field, aiming to provide the most precise estimate yet of the species? population and support the future management of its numbers.

In recent months, residents of the Rhodope Mountains have reported a noticeable increase in bear sightings. Encounters between bears and humans, as well as attacks on livestock and beehives, have become more frequent. Only in September, 46 incidents involving damaged hives and animals were recorded. Camera traps set up by local hunting groups regularly capture images of bears approaching wild boar feeding stations. In late August, a man was attacked near the village of Lyaskovo.

?Right now, we have about ten or twelve bears in our area,? said hunter Angel Mitev from Lyaskovo. Asked whether that number is high, he replied: ?It's a lot, for an area of 3,000 hectares, it's really too many bears.?

Despite numerous sightings, no one knows the actual number of bears living in the Rhodopes or across Bulgaria. This is precisely what forestry experts aim to determine through the ongoing genetic analysis. According to forest engineer Elin Lilov from the South Central State Enterprise in Smolyan, traditional counting methods are often unreliable. ?We hope that with genetic testing we can get a much more accurate figure, the real number of brown bears in Bulgaria, which will allow us to plan measures for population management,? Lilov explained.

In the field, forestry workers collect bear droppings and other biological samples, which are then catalogued with photographs and geographic coordinates. These samples are handed over to the Executive Environment Agency, which is responsible for transferring them to an accredited laboratory for detailed DNA analysis.

The results of the census will serve as the basis for any future decisions concerning the species. The brown bear is listed as a protected animal in Bulgaria, and hunting it is strictly prohibited by law. Exceptions can only be made in cases of significant property damage or danger to human life, and even then, only with a special permit for the specific animal and area concerned.