In 1998 the ARCTUROS' Environmental Centre was established in Aetos Florina, which originally was founded to provide shelter and care for bears and wolves that were found in a situation of illegal captivity. Nowadays with more than 50.000 visitors per year the Centre has become a focal point for the region and aims in:

• Raising public awareness on conservation issues
• Promoting scientific research on large carnivores and their habitats
• Assisting international collaboration in the South Balkans
• Contributing the sustainable development of the wider region
• Promoting voluntarism

At the moment five areas in the prefecture of Florina constitute the Centre, The Brown Bear Sanctuary in Nimfeo, the Brown bear Information Centre in Aetos, the Wolf Sanctuary and the Wolf Information Centre in Agrapidies and the Veterinary Station in Aetos.

The sanctuaries were created in order to obliterate the phenomenon of illegal captivity of the species by private individuals. The animals that are confiscated are sterilised and sheltered in the sanctuary where they will remain for the rest of their lives, provided that their provisional occurrence in conditions of captivity excludes the possibility of rehabilitation and reintroduction to their natural environment.

Each sanctuary has its own information centre where visitors can be informed about the development of the species, the geographic distribution in Greece, the biology, the ecology, and the threats that they face as well as how to tackle them.

At the centre a Veterinary Station also operates which is the first destination for the animals before their introduction to the appropriate sanctuary. The Centre is constantly expanding and currently a new breeding area for the livestock guarding dogs is underway.

The Centre is open for the public throughout the year, all days of the week besides Wednesday, 9am-5pm. For further information please contact aec@arcturos.gr.

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