May the 7th, 2026 – There’s a Croatian island inhabited by bears. It has no vowels in its name, and it’s the only island in the country where these large predators actually live.
As Putni kofer writes, did you know that there is a Croatian island where you can come face to face with the feared and yet adored brown bear? If you don’t know which one it is, here’s a little help. It’s also called the “golden island”, it has zero vowels, and it’s one of the largest and most populated in all of Croatia. As you’ve probably guessed, it’s the beautiful island of Krk. It’s the only Croatian island officially inhabited by bears.
Krk is practically the only Croatian island where you can come face to face with a bear, for two reasons. It’s located close to their natural habitat, and bears are also exceptionally skilled swimmers. Although they seem sluggish and lazy at first glance, they’re actually excellent and fast climbers, especially when they’re still young. They’re also very fast runners, and surprisingly good swimmers.
The only Croatian island where bears are regularly seen is the island of Krk, which they reach by swimming across a narrow sea strait that separates it from the nearby mainland.
As for Krk as an island, bears on the island seem to be no particular rarity. Local hunters have revealed that bears tend to come to the island during the drier periods of the year, when they’re searching for food and water. According to the article, thirteen brown bears have been sadly shot on Krk over the last fifteen years, equal to practically one every year. Krk is otherwise considered an area where the presence of bears is undesirable for an array of understandable reasons.
The bears on the Krk route reportedly most often start from Jadranovo and the surrounding area, with even female bears and their cubs being willing to swim the distance to the island. The female bears typically put their cubs on their backs to ensure their safety during the journey. One such bear family was the subject of media discussion about culling last year.
Incidentally, there are currently around 900 bears known to be permanently living in Croatia. They are a strictly protected species, but they are also subject to the Croatian Brown Bear Management Plan, which stipulates a culling quota.
As for the other Croatian islands, two more have been mentioned in the media in the context of brown bears. The presence of a bear on the moon-like island of Pag was allegedly suspected, and tourists once filmed a brown bear swimming to the island of Rab.
