Julian Perry

Born and raised in Kent, Julian has spent the last three decades exploring the mountains of Bulgaria, researching and writing about the human and natural history of the region. Julian is author of several books and articles about the Bulgarian mountains and their wildlife, and is also a fully qualified mountain guide.

Julian’s passion for the country’s wildlife led him to found the wildlife research and conservation NGO Wild Rodopi, undertaking herpetological and ornithological surveys, as well as monitoring the altitudinal distribution of butterflies and orchids in response to climate change. Julian’s main focus, however, has been on the mammals of Bulgaria, and he has gained a reputation as one of the foremost experts on brown bears in the country. A member of the International Association for Bear Research and Management, Julian is currently undertaking a long-term study into the ecology and ethology of brown bears in the Rodopi (Rhodope) Mountains.

Julian also has a particular interest in the complex entanglements between the human and non-human inhabitants of the Bulgarian mountains, and is actively involved in a number of research and conservation efforts aimed at nurturing more convivial human-wildlife coexistence in the region, especially in relation to carnivores, bats and herpetofauna.

Julian strongly believes that as a nature guide, his responsibility goes beyond simply helping to find and identify the species encountered, but also involves placing the wildlife in its wider ecological, ethnological and historical context, and so always enjoys discussing behavioural and conservation issues.