June the 17th, 2026 – Brown bears living across Paklenica are currently being fitted with collars and tracked in order to keep an eye on their populations, habits and behaviours. The move has promoted fresh warnings about any potential meetings with Croatia’s largest land predator.
Several brown bears across Paklenica have been fitted with tracking collars as part of a research project studying their movements, behaviour, and potential interactions with humans. Index reports that this commendable project, carried out in close cooperation with experts from the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, aims to collect data on where these large animals move and how they use the mountain environment around Paklenica. So far, five bears have been equipped with monitoring collars.
For visitors, the research also comes with an important reminder: Paklenica is not only a hiking and climbing destination, it is also a habitat for wild and potentially dangerous animals. In Croatia as a whole, encounters with brown bears are rare, but they’re possible and they have happened many times. Park experts say the most important thing if a human comes face to face with a brown bear is not to panic. You should never follow, disturb, or approach a bear, nor should you ever turn your back on the animal and try to run away. Instead, hikers and other park visitors are being advised to make their presence known by talking and making normal sounds while walking through the park. This will allow the bear to simply move away.
The most sensitive situation is encountering a female bear with cubs. In that case, experts advise giving the animal plenty of space and allowing it to move away calmly, rather than creating a situation where the mother bear feels trapped or threatened.
Some park workers say close encounters can be totally unforgettable. One Paklenica park employee described a moment when a bear came within around ten metres of him. The animal noticed the group, looked directly at them, and eventually moved on, which is a clear reminder of just how powerful it can feel to meet such an animal in their own natural environment.
Despite the attention these animals receive, experts say the bear population in this area of Croatia remains stable. There have been no recorded attacks by bears on humans in Paklenica, although the park has previously faced cases involving illegal killing of bears, highlighting the need for continued strict protection of the species.
The tracking project is not about removing bears from the landscape in any capacity but about understanding them and their behaviours throughout Paklenica, and therefore about populations living elsewhere across Croatia.
