site.btaBan on Entering Shumen Plateau Lifted, but Feline Predator Still on the Loose

Authorities lifted the restrictions and the ban on entering the Shumen Plateau Nature Park in Northeastern Bulgaria on Saturday, although a large black feline predator which was caught on phone camera there on June 19 has not been captured yet. The decision was made by the taskforce working on the case, the Shumen Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

The step is based on an opinion expressed by the Director of the Central Balkan National Park, Georgi Krastev. He said that no fresh footprint has been detected and no camera trap image has been obtained of the animal over the entire period of eight days during which a team of experts has been working on the ground. The predator, believed to be a black panther, was reportedly seen in various places by residents of the town of Shumen and nearby villages, which means that the animal has not chosen a definite area to stay, and its movements are random, Krastev said.

It is not impossible that the big cat may return to the Shumen Plateau as the place offers everything necessary to sustain its life. Considering its random movements, it can be assumed that it was not raised in the Shumen area or other parts of Northeastern Bulgaria, Krastev said. Authorities in Hungary were after a similar predator in 2021, and one of the theories is that it may have migrated from there to Bulgaria, the press release says.

Although the ban on entering the Shumen Plateau was lifted, the nature park remains under surveillance.