The bear is the largest land beast in Croatia. This brilliant giant is arousing both admiration and awe wherever it goes. Although it is extinct in parts of Europe, they still have a home in Croatia.
Bears are still roaming the vast forests and meadows of the Gorski Kotar, the mountainous region that rises slightly from the lowlands of central Croatia. Gorski Kotar is the kingdom for wild animals in Croatia, especially beasts, where you can find bears, lynxes, and wolves, which is rare in Europe as these three have long been extradited. Velebit Mountain is also a very good place for bears, but they are not present there in such numbers. The irony is that the largest abundance of bears is in places with hunting, not in most preserved places like a national park. The reason is that Gorski Kotar offers more food to bears, from wild prey to food left over by the people.
Are there dangerous animals in Croatia?
In the evening, the deer come out on the mountainside, and the wailing of wolves and herds of horses can also be heard. A few thousand bears live on roughly one-fifth of Croatia, about 12,500 km2, and they venture out a further 3,000 km2. They do not often travel down to flat land in Dalmatia but mostly stick to near the mountains.
Although they have been known to come down to the coast, even swimming across to the island of Krk.
The bear needs a good habitat where it can find food, peace, and a place to breed. It is best suited for deciduous forests that produce bulk seeds (beans, chestnuts, acorns), but it also needs plants in spring and forest fruits (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries) during the summer.
It is not difficult to recognise brown bears, as they measure more than two meters from muzzle to tail and weigh 150 kilograms. They have powerful backbones but short legs. The bear works crudely but can run very fast, up to 50 km / h.
Due to energy and thermal insulation, bears need to secure the stocks before winter. Then they can double in weight. The bear sleeps throughout the winter, but it can wake up.
You can see the bear live safely in an orphanage in Kuterevo, near Otočac. The bear is an elite hunting game in Gorski Kotar. Hunting in Croatia is sustainable, so there is no fear of a population decline. Also, a larger population of bears would force them to descend to the human settlements in search of food.
Goran Šafarek, biologist, author of several books and films about Croatia. Don’t forget to follow us on our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
