engleski

Bears in Croatia

A 3-day workshop was held in a remote mountainous house in Gorski kotar region of Croatia on 3-5 March 1996 organised by Djuro Huber and sponsored in part by the funds of John Sheldon Bevins Memorial Foundation and IBA. Seventeen active participants attended, including Croatian bear managers and guests from neighbouring countries: Ciril Strumbelj (Slovenia), Vlado Soldo (Bosnia and Hercegovina), Petra Kaczensky and Felix Knauer (Austria). At this occasion the poster "S.O.S. MEDVJED (BEAR)" has been promoted. The need for the meeting arose from insufficient insight in the post-war situation with bears and from controversial media information on bears in Croatia which peaked in 1996. Each incident with bears was followed by media with striking headlines and dramatic texts. From this information and the resulting public feelings one could superficially conclude that the bears were making ever more damages, became "bloodthirsty" and dangerous for people even to walk in their habitat, grew too numerous and spread to the areas not adequate for them, and came from Bosnia and Hercegovina due to the war. The goal was to determine the actual situation, problems and trends to make possible to manage bears accordingly. Each participant presented the situation with bears in his area with respect to the estimation of population size and trend, mortality from hunting and other reasons, types and sizes of damages and unusual behavior of individual bears. The list of conclusions have been reached: 1. Population size and trend of bears in Croatia: In an area of at least 6480 km2 a minimum of 340 and a maximum of 415 bears was likely living in 1996. The average density was 0.7 bear/10 km2. Compared to the estimates of 400 bears before the Croatian Homeland War (1991-95) seems that a slight population drop occurred (5 - 15%) which may be attributed to the war. The optimistic (maximum) estimates are in the range of pre-war population size. There is no indications of population rise. Bear population in Slovenia is estimated to 300 to 350 individuals and is stable in the area of 5000 km2 . Total yearly mortality is 30 to 40 bears. There is no complete data for Bosnia and Herzegovina. However in 9 hunting units only 54 bears have been counted in 1996 (Vlado Soldo). The same 9 units reported 197 bears in 1992 before the war started in Bosnia which represents a population drop of 73%! Known and reported bear mortality related to the war in the same area was 92 bears. 3.Mortality: Mortality data are incomplete. It has been noted that in many war affected regions of southern Croatia the bear population has been devastated. However, some areas are still completely unvisited by people due to land mine fields. It has been speculated that the bear population may be on rise in these calm belts. 4.Migration from Bosnia and Herzegovina: There is no indication of any mass movements of bears to Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Individual movements were possible but they did not reach further than the mountains along the border. In particular there is no indications that such bear movements reached Gorski kotar in western Croatia, Slovenia, Italia or Austria, what was all frequently mentioned in the press. One bear radio-marked in Slovenia, however, moved in that period to Croatia. Moves of bears from Croatia to Slovenia have been documented already in 1986, much before the war. 5. Damage: In 1996 only 17 damage incidents have been recorded in Croatia: 9 on livestock (4 pigs, 3 sheep, 1 horse, 1 cattle), 6 on fruit trees, 2 on bee hives. For comparison in 1987, when the last damage survey has been performed, the number of bear damages was 247: 13 on livestock (8 cattle, 3 sheep, 1 goat, 1 donkey), 206 on oats and corn, 23 on plums and 5 on bee hives. The war induced decrease of agricultural activities in the bear area was the main reason for a marked drop in bear damages compared to 9 years before.Additionally 8 collisions with motorised vehicles were recorded in 1996: 5 with cars and 3 with trains, resulting in 3 dead bears (2 by trains and 1 by car). 6.Attacks on humans: In 1996 no case of attacks on humans has been recorded in Croatia. There were 4 such incidents in the last 10 years: one lethal (1988) and 3 injuries (1989, 1994 and 1995). Analyses of this incidents revealed that the bears were always provoked by disturbance of female with cubs, disturbance near the den site or in a sudden close encounter. 7.Cases of unusual bear behavior: Seven bears have been recorded in 1996 exhibiting, in at least one occasion, some form of unusual behavior; feeding on garbage and/or not running from man. The cases included a bear walking in the edge of a town, night feeding from garbage cans, feeding on garbage of construction workers settlement, and attack on pigs in stable. Although there was no similar data base for the previous years, there is enough evidence that the frequency of unnatural bear behavior is in increase. So far 3 bears are known that had to be destroyed due to unnatural behavior: in 1990, 1995 and 1996. 8.Response to media work in1996: The trend of damages is in decrease. Attacks on humans were not recorded. There is no arguments for writing that the bears became "bloodthirsty". Bear population is smaller, or at the best the same as before the Croatian Homeland War - certainly it didn"t grew. Bear range has not recently increased. Migrations from Bosnia and Herzegovina were possible only in the border region. Bear managers consider the bears as an important game species, see no reasons to stop the trophy hunting, but raised recommendations for better management. 9.Recommendations: ˇ Removal and/or fencing of garbage dumps. Closure of illegal dumps and construction of bear safe garbage containers. ˇ Fencing of magistral roads and construction of "green bridges" on critical corridors. Removal of garbage and other attractants along travel ways. ˇ Winter closure for forestry operations and hunting in the areas frequent with bear dens. Closure of forest roads for public use. Maintenance of the present share of mature beech trees in the forest population. ˇ Education of people on behavior in bear habitat by printing folders and placing signs along roads and in forest. ˇ Promote centralised bear management including the determination of yearly hunting quotas on the state level.

Brown bear; Croatia; status

nije evidentirano