Predatory animals in Slovenia/Hungary/Croatia etc.

January 30, 2012 2:53 PM

When walking in the woods in the region of Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, and/or northern Italy, what type of predatory animals would one be most likely to encounter, and how does the likelihood of encountering them compare to the likelihood of encountering predators in the mountain West of the US? For instance, in western Montana/Idaho, I frequently see coyotes, I often hear Great Horned Owls and sometimes see them, and I know mountain lions and wolves are out there but it's very rare to actually encounter one. (I'm not asking about danger to humans, it's just a more general question about common types of predatory animals.)
posted by HotToddy to science & nature (4 answers total)

Gray wolves, lynxes, foxes.
posted by Burhanistan at 3:02 PM on January 30

There's still a few brown bears in Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy.
posted by dunkadunc at 3:09 PM on January 30

There's a great episode of Nature, Land of the Falling Lakes, that features Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. It's been a while since I saw it, but I was amazed at all the wildlife and predators out there. Of course, being a national park, I don't know how the predator population compares to that of Croatia/Slovenia/etc generally.
posted by gueneverey at 5:03 PM on January 30

I generally feel safe hiking in the woods of Croatia/Slovenia - I've met only some deers, rabbits and occasional fox. In some parts of Croatia (Gorski kotar), there is some possibility of meeting a bear or a wolf or a wild boar, but on common hiking trails this is not very likely. There are 2-3 poisonous snakes - incidents are rare, but do be careful about them.
posted by leigh1 at 2:31 AM on January 31