Brown Bear

Over the course of the 17th and 18th century, this largest European predator was driven to extinction almost everywhere on the territory of what is today the Czech Republic. Migration corridors to Slovakia, where sizable populations of all large animals of prey have survived to this day, allowed the bear to make a return to the Czech lands in the 1970s, and to the Beskid Mountains in particular. The brown bear is exceedingly reclusive, and thus gives humans a wide berth, so that it is hardly ever spotted. During winter, it rests for extended periods, living off its fat reserves, though it does not hibernate in the technical sense. The brown bear is an omnivore, but over 90% of its diet is plant-based (fruit, roots, mushrooms, and diverse plants), supplemented with some prey. The mating season of bears lasts from May through July, during which the males go on extensive forays to find females. The female’s gestation is hidden (or latent), in that embryonic development is arrested in the early stage until conditions are favourable. Offspring are then born after 6-8 months of gestation, during the ‘hibernation’ period.