A British tourist who died in north-east Greece last week had been attacked by feral dogs before being killed by wolves, according to a local coroner.
Nikolaos Kifinidis, chief coroner in the Rodopi region, told The Times that the injuries suffered by Celia Hollingworth, 63, from Bradford on Avon, suggest that she was first attacked by dogs, incapacitated by her injuries, and then eaten by wolves.
He said he had found what he believed were wolf whiskers and fur on her remains.
“If the animal hair that we found matches up then the theory will hold up. If not, then something else went terribly wrong.”
Hollingworth, who worked as an administrator for Bristol University before retiring, had been trekking back from an archaeological site near the Turkish border last Thursday.
She phoned her brother in the UK to tell him that she was being attacked by dogs, who alerted police and the British embassy.
The authorities in Rodopi have ruled out foul play. Michalis Sevdinidis, the police chief, said: “We are continuing our hunt, searching the region for more clues and human remains.”
Hollingworth’s shoes, passport and mobile phone have been found.
“It’s very, very difficult to come to any definite conclusion based on these finds alone,” the coroner said.