OVER THE EDGE

Hiker Plummets to His Death Taking Cellphone Footage of Bear

Two hikers and a pet dog encountered the bear.

A chilling video shows a hiker being charged at by a bear, moments before he plunges to his death down a ravine in Greece. Christos Stavrianidis, 61, recorded his encounter with the bear while hiking with his dog and a friend in Fratko forest in the north of the country. Stavrianidis, 61, recorded his encounter with the bear while hiking, with his dog and a friend, in Fratko forest in the north of the country. The 49-second clip depicted a large brown bear moving toward the hiker. Seconds later, Stavrianidis fell from the cliff as his screams echoed. In the footage, Stavrianidis calls for his friend Dimitris. “Where are you? Come! Come to me,” he said as the bear approached him. Stavrianidis’s dog barked furiously at the bear, in an attempt to protect its owner. The clip ends with Stavrianidis screaming as he plummets into the ravine. Dimitris explained that the friends had become separated because Stavrianidis wanted to see the view from the top of a peak. He told the Greek Media, “[The bear] attacked… I saw it two or three meters in front of me. I didn’t even have time... I was really stunned.”