Honey-stealing bear costs Macedonian state $3,500

A court in Macedonia has ordered the government to pay a $3,500 fine to a local bee-keeper over a bear that had been stealing his honey, national media said on Friday.

The case came about after a man from the village of Krivogastani, near the town of Bitola, appealed to a local court, claiming damage to his property.

He had initially tried to keep the bear away from his beehives by playing loud Serbian turbo-folk music.

"I tried to distract the bear with lights and music because I had heard that bears are afraid of that," Zoran Kiseloski told the Dnevnik daily.

"I bought a generator, lit up the area and put on songs by (Serbian 'turbo-folk' star) Ceca," he said. However the furry intruder simply came back for more honey when the generator's batteries ran out.

The year-long case of the beekeeper against the bear ended in the beekeeper's favor. The honey-thief was tried in absentia.

Since the bear was obviously unable to pay damages, the court decided that the state should pay the 140,000 denar fine ($3,500) to Kiseloski.

Kiseloski's lawyer has said he will appeal for greater compensation however, the balkaninsight.com news portal reported.