VITOSHA — Bulgaria's interior ministry said Monday that police will patrol Vitosha Nature Park, place camera traps and fly a drone over the perimeter after a bear mauled a hiker to death in the mountainous region just outside Sofia. The 35-year-old man's body was found Saturday afternoon near a road connecting two chalets in the northwestern part of the park, about half an hour by road from the capital.

The interior ministry said a forensic doctor and a big game expert determined the man was killed by a bear. "The findings of the medical examiner and a wildlife expert show that marks found on the body are those of a female bear accompanied by her cub," a Sofia police spokesperson said.

The ministry on Monday reminded the public to travel in groups if possible, make noise while moving, and avoid leaving food waste behind. "The brown bear naturally avoids contact with humans," the police spokesperson said. "The risk of aggressive behavior is possible in the event of a sudden encounter, in the presence of cubs, or when the animal feels threatened."

Vitosha is a hiking destination for residents of Sofia. The area is home to wild animals including deer, roe deer, wild boars and wolves, and is believed to be home to around 18 to 20 bears. The park's bear population makes encounters possible, particularly in the northwestern section where the man's body was found.

The last recorded case of a person killed by a bear in Bulgaria occurred in 2010 in the Rhodope Mountains in the south. Saturday's incident prompted the interior ministry to announce the new monitoring measures, which include ground patrols by police, camera traps placed within the park, and a drone deployed to cover the perimeter.