Watch out, a human!   

Given that Slovenia is one of the most forested countries in Europe (over 60% of the country’s territory), the probability of encountering forest dwellers during mushroom picking, truffle hunting, recreational activities or forestry work, is relatively high. Among these animals are bears, which certainly trigger the greatest fear. The fear of bears is, however, utterly unfounded.

The brown bear might be the largest European land mammal and is potentially dangerous to humans due to its size and strength, yet out of the approx. 900 bears living in Slovenia, bumping into a hostile one is unlikely. This majestic animal doesn’t really pose a danger to humans as most people tend to think.

In reality Man has been the greatest threat to bears throughout history. If bears wanted to survive, they had to know how to avoid humans. Evolution has gifted bears with a preconditioned fear of humans. This is even more evident today, particularly in a densely populated landscape like ours. Therefore, in the vast majority of cases, the bear avoids humans at all costs. But bears can still be dangerous, especially when feeling threatened.

Since we represent the greatest threat to bears than vice versa, these beasts do everything to avoid contact with us. We usually aren’t even aware of a bear’s presence until it has long cleared the area. If we do see a bear, we most often see it retreating. The most common causes of an actual bear attack are the following:

• an unleashed dog may lead a chasing bear back to the owner,
• a wounded bear may feel like it has a better chance at survival if on the offensive,
• if we unintentionally surprise a mother bear with her cubs,
• if we cross paths with a bear that doesn’t have an immediate escape route,
• and the most unfortunate encounter of all: a bear that has lost its fear of humans (a habituated bear).

An actual attack or false alarm?

The media may quite frequently report of bear attacks, rest assured, statistics show that in Slovenia we record from zero to two attacks a year. These are actual attacks with physical contact. There are a few more close encounters with bears when there is no physical contact, but people still believe they were victims of a charging bear. In fact, the bear was probably trying to flee. It’s hard to differentiate between the two, but if you got mauled by one, you would know.   

A bear can stand on its hind legs when meeting a human, which is not a sign of aggression, it’s only checking the surroundings to find a clear path of retreat. It can also show signs of aggression, but in most cases it’s a “false attack”, the purpose of which is to scare away the intruder. In any case, it’s good to know how to behave in such an event so as not to increase the bear’s level of aggression.

How should we react when encountering a brown bear?

If we spot a bear in the distance, it is best to slowly retreat in the direction we came and leave the bear enough room to continue on its way. We never run! If a bear approaches us, but has not yet noticed us, we warn it of our presence in a controlled tone of voice and slowly retreat.

If we find ourselves in the immediate vicinity of a bear, even if it’s a bear with cubs, we stop, stay calm, and begin to slowly retreat in the direction we came. We move slowly, without making any quick movements or screaming. It’s important not to give the bear the feeling of being threatened. In the event of an attack by a mamma bear, we should refrain from defending ourselves. Yes, pretending to be dead actually works.  The best approach is to stop or lie down slowly on the ground, face down. Mamma bear won’t see you as a threat and will move on.

Remember, never try to run away from a bear or climb a tree. Bears are excellent climbers and they can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h. A bear will catch you can within a few meters, regardless of the type of terrain. The exception, of course, is a safe place you can reach in a matter of metres, like a nearby house or your car.

The biggest threat in Slovenian forests is much, much smaller.

Enjoying the woods in Slovenia is not only safe, but comes highly recommended. Ticks are active in Slovenia from early spring to late autumn under the right conditions, with the peak time being from late spring to early autumn. They are hungrier in warmer weather.

Nevertheless, the forest should be, and is, our refuge from the stress and is guaranteed to bring peace of mind. So, go hiking, jogging, cycling or fishing. Fill your lungs with fresh air. If you want to see the big brown bear, go bear watching. If you don’t want to bump into one, keep your dog on a leash, make a few loud noises every once in a while, to alert the Slovenian wild animals of your presence, and most of all: relax.

Stay safe, pick up your trash, and have fun in the wilderness!

North American black bear 

The North American black bear is the most common bear in North America. Currently, 800,000 species live in the range from the Mexican border to Florida, Canada, and Alaska. They live mostly in the woods and predominantly eat fruit, nuts, and vegetation.

Male black bears reach full size at about 8 years of age and females mate and produce cubs at 5 to 7 years of age. Males weigh up to 300 kilos and live up to 25 years in the wild. 

Did you know that black bears are excellent climbers and are often photographed scaling trees? 

Brown Bear

The brown bear’s homeland is the northern USA, western Canada, Europe, Russia, and some parts of Asia. A bear needs a wide space to move, has an omnivorous diet, and also tolerates the presence of people which is why it is classified as a vulnerable species. The brown bear is the largest living beast in Europe and is protected by many international conventions. Its fur color scale is from almost black, and brown to very light brown or even blonde. The really big bears can weigh up to 700 kilos but are very rare now. North American Rocky Mountains grizzly bear and Europe brown bear tend to be much smaller and weigh up to 250 kilos. 

Polar Bear 

Polar white bears are among the largest bears in the world since adult males can reach up to 800 kilograms. Home for polar bears is on the sea ice, where they hunt seals at open leads. Polar bears are found in five nations across the Arctic: the USA in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway in the Svalbard archipelago. The polar bear can reach up to 800 kilos and their size range depends on two main factors: the quality of the sea ice and the availability of their seal prey.

Asiatic black bear

Asiatic black bears, Himalayan black bears, or moon bears have long black fur with a distinct white patch on the chest with longer fur on the shoulders and throat. Their ears are relatively large. Asiatic black bears live in almost all eastern and southern Asian countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Asiatic black bears are more carnivores than their American parents.

Andean Bear

This South American bear is also called the Spectacled bear, but most scientists refer to them as Andean bears as they are found only in the Andes mountains in South America. These bears are listed as endangered species and are the last remaining short-faced bears. This bear is supposed to be the largest South American land carnivore, although only 5 percent of its diet is meat. The Spectacled bear is a mid-sized bear with blackish fur that may vary from jet black to dark brown and to even a reddish hue and have usually beige-colored marking across its face and upper chest. Adult males can weigh from 100 to 200 kilograms and females only 35 to 82 kilograms.

Panda Bear 

The giant panda is a rare, endangered and protected bear species restricted to south-central China. According to the last counting, there are still 1,864 pandas living in the wild. Did you know that science used to believe that the giant panda was a member of the raccoon family, but DNA analyses proved it wrong? Unlike other bears, pandas do not hibernate but just move to lower altitudes in the winter to keep warm and to higher and cooler elevations in the summer. They are famous for the love of bamboo and they consume up to 20 kilos of this plant every day. Did you know that an adult female weighs around 100 kg and her newborn cub only 100 grams? In the scientific world, it’s still a mystery regarding such a size disproportion – mothers are, in fact, 900 times more massive than the newborns.  Besides being so tiny, cubs are also born pink, hairless and blind.  

Sun bear 

They are known as the honey bear for its love of honey, the Sun bear is least well-known and one of the rarest of all the bear species. It’s also the smallest living bear, weighing only from 27 to 50kg (female) and 27 to 65kg (male) and  120 to 150 cm in length. They have flexible snouts and very long tongues, which are an adaptation for extracting termites from nests. Also, they may use their sharp canines as tools for tearing at trees to get at insects. You can find Sun bears in south-east Asia such as Cambodia, China, India, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand Vietnam and Myanmar.

You can see bears from a certain distance in lots of European countries such as Romania, Spain, Slovenia, Greece, Finland and Norway. In the United States, you can admire brown bears in Alaska and grizzlies in Yellowstone national park and in Canada. In the Arctic Circle, you can as well observe white polar bears. Wherever you wander, wherever you roam, the bear watching world will exhilarate and delight. In this blog, we would like to show you some bear populated European countries where you can join the guided bear watching. 

In Europe, the best bear habitats are wide forests on steep-sloped, rocky territory where humans hardly ever step in. The densest populations of bears in Europe are found in the Dinaric Mountains and the Carpathians. Some bear heards can be found and seen also in the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Apennines. If observing polar bears in their natural habitat is at the top of your bucket list, you can now take a voyage to numerous locations around the world. Below you can find some of the most bear populated locations in Europe. 

Finland

Finland is home to approximately 2,000 bears and most of them can be found in the Taiga forests close to the Russian border. If you decide to take bear watching in the Santa Claus homeland, you will be guided by a local expert who will explain all about their wild bear species. These trips usually involve an overnight stay in a safe, warm and hidden bear watching hut. 

Slovenia 

According to current data, we can find approximately 1,000 brown bears living in Slovenia. To learn about the biodiversity of southern Slovenia and experience a real meeting with this wild animal, the bear watching is one of the must-do things. In the wild, bears will very rarely approach humans. As soon as they smell you, they quickly go in the other direction, so this is why the observance hut is smell-isolated, allowing bears to come into close viewing range in total safety for both parties. 

Greece

Did you know that 50% of western and southern Europe’s brown bears live in northern Greece? The bear population is concentrated mostly in the wild Pindos mountains where you can discover these wild beasts with a guide.  

Romania

Traditionally Romania is a well-known hunting country. Due to this fact, 5,500 Romanian bears were in danger of wild hunting tourism until conservation. Now bear watching is conquering over the cruelty of trophy hunters and you can enjoy them in their natural habitat during your holiday. You can also see bears in a special sanctuary for rescued bears in the Carpathian Mountains.

Spain

The Spanish Pyrenees and the Mountains of Cantabria in northwest Spain are rich with a bear population in that part of Europe. There lives the Cantabrian brown bear which, due to hunting and habitat destruction is close to extinction. You can catch a glimpse of those beautiful furry creatures with an expert wildlife guide and enjoy the live spectacle of the last members of this species. Since they are not the only inhabitants there, you will certainly also enjoy other wild animals such as   Iberian wolves, golden eagles, wild boar and red squirrels.

Svalbard 

The Svalbard is an archipelago under the Norwegian flag and the starting point to the Arctic world, especially for cruises. In the Svalbard, a home to 3,000 polar bears, you can join the organized frozen safari on the ship. The best part about a polar bear cruise is that the trip takes place during the time of the year with 24-hour daylight, meaning that wildlife can be seen at any time of the day or night.