Mother bear with 2 cubs shot dead near Konitsa

A mother bear and her two cubs have been shot dead near Konitsa in Greece's Epirus region. The incident was reported to Arcturos, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the brown bear, on Sunday after the lifeless bodies were discovered alongside the road connecting the cities of Ioannina and Kozani.

"They shot the mother bear first, and then the two cubs, who were born earlier this year and were still nursing, as evidenced by the mother bear's nipples," explained Nikos Arctouros, a member of Arcturos, to the state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA).

Authorities are investigating the incident.