Female bear killed in road accident near Kastoria
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
A female adult bear was reported killed over the weekend after being hit by a car at the Siatista-Kastoria section of the Egnatia highway, near the junction of Vogatsikos.
According to the driver of the car, who emerged unharmed from the collision, two preceding vehicle had managed to avoid the animal. Authorities said her death was instant as she suffered comminuted fractures to the skull and pelvis. They said the bear managed to enter the highway and walked alongside the fence until it was hit by the passing car.
Environmental groups Arcturos and Kallisto expressed their dismay for the death of the bear noting that despite the special fences fitted in recent years to protect mammals, 22 bears have been killed in road accidents from 2009 to 2015 in the same part of the road. The NGOs urged Egnatia Odos, which manages the highway, and Kozani traffic police to seal off the open sections of the road.
“Kallisto and Arcturos have pointed out to Egnatia Odos that as long as three junctions along the highway remain open, there will always be a risk of a new accident,” the NGO’s spokespeople said in a joint statement.
One of the many added measures the contractor could take is to monitor those junctions constantly through cameras or motion detectors and report immediately passing vehicles of any problems through LED traffic signs, they added.
