The shooting deaths of a female Brown Bear in northern Greece and a Lesser Spotted Eagle on Crete sparked outrage from animal rights activists in Greece who said those who did it should be found and punished.

The bear was killed in Prespes and found dead near the village of Vrontero, said the environmental and animal defender groups Callisto, Arcturos and the Prespa Protection Company, said Kathimerini.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first such incident in this village,” Giorgos Mertzanis, Scientific Director of Callisto told the paper, although it wasn't if there was any indication why the animal was shot.

The incident happened Sept. 17, the groups said, the same day the eagle – which was born in March in the Prasano Gorge – was found shot in a rural area south of Vasiliki in the municipality of Gortyna, the report said.

The eagle had been fitted with a satellite transmitter in April under the LIFE Bonelli eastMed Program. Animal cruelty is so common in Greece that legislation and penalties have been toughened for perpetrators who are caught, which is rare.