A distress signal about a bear attack has been sent to the 112 emergency phone line, according to the Focus news agency.

Allegedly, the attack took place in the area between the villages of Vievo and Slaveino, in the municipality of Smolyan in southeastern Bulgaria in the Rhodope Mountains.

The attack occurred at about 2.30pm and was reported by Smolyan Municipality mayor Dora Yankova, the Focus news agency said.
According to Yankova, the bear was found feeding on a sheep.

The mayor insisted that she would continue to lobby for bears to be banished from the area, which "necessitates a clear operational plan, to calm down citizens and make them feel safe".

Earlier this month, authorities killed a bear that attacked a woman near the village of Malka Arda in southern Bulgaria, in the Rhodope Mountains.

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.

Mountain rangers and the authorities were hunting the animal for nearly a month. About 14 traps were installed between Malka Arda and Kutela for its capture.

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.

According to specialists, bear attacks in Bulgaria, although a real threat, are very rare.

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

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.