Actions against poachers in the Central Balkan National Park
05 September 2025
In just one day, the security forces organized two actions in the protected area
Three poachers were captured on the territory of the Central Balkan National Park during two actions on September 4, carried out by the security officers of the park directorate.
On September 3, late in the evening, the employees of the Central Balkan National Park Directorate (CNPD) received a signal from a camera trap, which showed two people on a motorbike crossing a road with prohibited access. The director of the park, Georgi Krastev, and three park employees headed to the land of the village of Rozino, Karlovo municipality, where the violators were detected.
In the early hours of September 4, the team captured the two individuals – the driver of the motorbike and his companion, who was holding a long-barreled hunting weapon. In the backpack of the driver of the motorbike, 2 thermal scopes, a suppressor – without a registration number, and ammunition were found. At the time of their capture, the hunting weapon did not have a trigger lock mechanism installed. Actions were taken by the competent authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the case, and the hunting equipment found was confiscated.
On the same day, September 3, late in the evening, the park guards also discovered a parked car near the southern border of the park in the land of the village of Skobelevo, Pavel Banya Municipality. They inspected the site and, on the director’s order, searched the area, with officers from the State Hunting Reserve (SHL) “Mazalat” also joining the operation, who were waiting for the driver of the vehicle on site.
During a patrol in the nearby Sokolna Reserve early in the morning of September 4, the park guards noticed a person armed with a long-barreled hunting weapon walking towards the parked vehicle. The park guards and the hunting reserve officers intercepted the offender at the car. During the check, they found a long-barreled hunting weapon and a backpack with a camera trap, suppressor, optics, ammunition, a knife, large plastic bags and a flashlight.
A report was filed with the Ministry of Interior and the person was detained. Employees of the Kazanlak Regional Directorate searched the offender's family property, during which a large amount of ammunition was found, including boxes of different caliber cartridges, bullets, primers-igniters for ammunition, powdery substances with unclear contents, as well as 7 horns
"These are the next actions against violators that we are capturing in the Central Balkan Park. We will not show any tolerance for such illegal activities in the protected area," said the director of the directorate, Georgi Krastev, and thanked all institutions - the State Border Guard, the State Border Guard, the Ministry of Interior, who are assisting the park guards against the violators.
