Authorities have killed the bear that attacked a woman near the village of Malka Arda in southern Bulgaria, in the Rhodope Mountains, Ekaterina Gadjeva from the Regional Environment Inspectorate in Smolyan told Bulgarian media on August 5 2010.

The bear attacked the 64-year-old woman on the morning of July 14. The incident occurred at about 9am between the villages of Malka Arda and Oryahovets in south Bulgaria, in the municipality of Banite, Malka Arda mayor Rossen Iliev said.

Mountain rangers and the authorities were on the hunt for the animal for nearly a month. About14 traps were installed between Malka Arda and Kutela for its capture.

The authorisation for the hunt was given to the Slaveino hunting club in the village of Slaveinovo. They were told to "organise a hunting party in the Banite Municipality near Malka Arda and have the bear killed," bTV reported on July 21 2010.

In May 2010, a brown bear killed a man near the Smolyan village of Koutela, which prompted to the authorities to order the bear killed as well. However, authorities say that such events are rare and attacks on humans are reportedly "exceptional cases".

The Bulgarian brown bear is, or the (Ursus arctos arctos) is a subspecies of the brown bear (Ursus arctos), and found across northern Eurasia. The brown bear is also known as the "common brown bear", and colloquially by many other names.

The animal is widespread in Bulgaria. Bears are found on Vitosha Mountain, close to Sofia as well as Rila, Pirin, the Rhodope mountains, the Lozenska Mountain and Bulgaria's spine, the massive Stara Planina range.

The Bulgarian brown bear is a protected species, and their killing is authorised only if they have been proven to attack humans.