Category: mountain range country

Italy – Alps & Apennines

The Italian Alps and Appenines

The Italian Alps cover an area of consists of 27.2% of the whole of the alps or 81,090 square km, which is 31,300 square miles. Common wildlife species to see are Chamois (pretty plentiful) these can often be found low in the mountain valleys, Alpine Ibex nearly pushed to extinction during the 19th century, but recovering well now which are expert climbers and can be spotted often on incredibly steep cliffs and Marmots which are actually members of the squirrel family, but live only on the ground, and have become extremely capable diggers, even in frozen soil.

The Apennines mountains  which lie further South formed the last refuge of the Italian wolf by in the 1970s, when they were given full protection. At this time there were only 70-100 wolves left in Italy. Thankfully since then their numbers have climbed steadily, and there are now thought to be around 2000 now living in Italy, though this population is almost completely confined to the Apennine and Alpine regions of Italy. The majority are in the Apennine mountains, though the Alps are clearly good habitat, as the number is climbing fast with at least 300 thought to be living in the Alps in 2018, this number has doubled since 2015. While no significant survey has been done since, one can only assume that the number has grown significantly in the last 2 years.

The Italian Alps wolves consist of 51 packs. While wolves howl less in Europe due to human persecution over the centuries, than they do in the USA, with this much territory competition, they do howl from time to time as a way of spacing themselves out without having to fight.

As with elsewhere, Italian wolves are not easy to see, however in some ways they are an easier wildlife holiday for families than many other options. This is because they are almost entirely resting during the day, allowing for other family friendly activities. The only times of day that it is worth looking for wolves is in the early morning, and in the evening.

Finding a high up point overlooking a valley, if you are lucky you will see the animals moving below. When particularly lucky, you might hear the eerie howl of a wolf. There are a variety of reasons for howling, but if territory is in dispute, the whole pack will howl together and you will usually hear the other pack responding.

There is a population of about 80 bears in the region of Trentino in the central alps, and this population is growing, though there are calls for culls. The Marsican bear whose territory lies south in the Appenine mountain range, also has a population of 50 -60 bears left. This population has been stable for the last 10 years.

Despite plentiful territory, Lynx do not seem to have successfully returned, and only exist close to the border with Switzerland and Slovenia where healthy population does still live, and therefore occasionally wander over the border.

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France – Alps

The French Alps

The French Alps cover an area of 38,000 square km, or just over 15,000 square miles. As with many other European countries, France has not been happy to share its space with predators, and so all were exterminated by the the second world war

The French Alps border the Alps from many other country and has a result wildlife from the rest of the alps has been able to spread. Back in the 1995 some of the Italian wolves started migrating across the border,  On this occasion the wolves set up a territory and became established. Over the next 25 years the wolves have increased dramatically so that now there are between 500 and 600 living in the french alps. While they have been expanding far into France the core consisting of 50% of their population is still in the French Alps.

A view of the French Alps

There are no bears in the french alps, they still exist further south in Italy, as well as in the Dinarac alps that run from northern Italy, east and south into the Balkans down to Albania in the South East. It is therefore possible that they will return on their own in time, and given a young dispersing bear can cover large distances, it is always possible for them to return. The important thing is to remember that this is prime bear habitat, and that it is therefore highly likely that one day they will be back.

However, apart from the returning wolves there are now a few lynx that live wild within parts of the French Alps.There are other mountain ranges that lie close by which host more lynx, however I have listed them separately. While lynx tourism is a fantastic boost to the country, it should be noted that lynx are incredibly shy and so are not seen often. This shouldn’t detract from the interest though as their impact on the ecosystem is very clear. When walking in areas with animals like lynx, looking for signs of their presence can be a rewarding pass time – particularly with young children who are unlikely to have the patience to see the animal assuming it will appear anyway. Tracks and droppings are often not to hard to find.

Different parts of the French alps have different levels of human presence. If you are looking for wilderness, the Southern french alps are one of the wildest regions of western europe.

Chamois mouflon and marmots are common here as well as roe deer.


 

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The French Alps cover a large area, and the wildlife is pretty wide spread.  Unfortunately often to see wild animals in their native habitat you need a mix of luck and patience with a little knowledge mixed in. As we make links these will appear below the news section below.

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Austria – Alps

The Austrian Alps

The Austrian Alps cover an area of 52,000 square km, or just over 20,000 square miles. This is about 62% of Austria. You would have thought that this would have lead to a country teeming with wildlife, and indeed it would have been naturally, however as with other European countries the big predators were exterminated. 

However, with its proximity to other countries with big predators, they have returned. Currently there are areas with wolves, the second area only having only become established in 2019. Austria does have a keen hunting tradition, one of the reasons for the extinction of these animals in the first place, and as such it is important for locals to see there is money to be made by having them there.

A view of the Austrian Alps

The two Austrian wolf populations have established quite well separated areas of the country. Now it should be noted, that howling is a behavior most often undertaken to establish territory, and as such howling is likely to not be common (European wolves howl less, due to persecution by humans as well), however individual wolves also howl to establish contact with other members of their pack. One is far from the Austrian alps so is not of interest in this page. The other is dealt with below

Allensteig and surrounding area.

The first of these territories was established in 2016 and lies within the Allensteig millitary training area , an area of 157 square km, or 57 square miles. As a training area, it is off limits to the public. There are currently 2 wolf packs within this area, with a total of 20 wolves. They do roam outside the training area. As a result of the 2 packs living close together hearing howls is more likely here. Given the small number of people who can enter the area this is probably a particularly good habitat for wolves in Europe.

Click on the link below to see our page on accommodation in this area.

https://seeanimalswild.com/accommodation-near-allensteig-training-area/(opens in a new tab)

 

Wolves in an army training area, near Allensteig in Austria

Austria near the Czech border

A small pack of 4-5 animals have established a territory along the Austrian Czech border in the last few years. Genetic analysis shows that this new pack is not related to the Allensteig wolves and therefore must have migrated from the Polish or German wolf population.

https://seeanimalswild.com/austria-accommodation-near-the-austrian-czech-border/

Watching wolves anywhere is hard, with so few this area is particularly hard. However, tourists visiting because of the wolves is highly important. If local people realize that the wolves presence is good for Austria due to increased tourism numbers they are more likely to become accepted.

There is also claimed to have been a small population of about 22 bears. There have been a variety of studies over the years, and you can find estimate far higher,. This small bear population could does have some genetic flow with the Italian and Slovenian population. The study period (early millennium) counted 28 cubs over the period it looked at, suggesting an extremely high mortality rate. There is a strong hunting history in Austria, so it is possible that some have been illegally killed. However, as with the wolves above, there are sizable populations in countries close enough for dispersing young to reach Austria. Interest in the local bears can only encourage non-lethal use of their presence  (i.e. ecotourism). Unfortunately there are credible claims that the bears are fully extinct again in the Northern Limestone Alps with this formally declared in 2020. Having said that, the founding bear of this population migrated there of its own accord back in the early 1990s, before 3 others were translocated to the area. It is therefore clearly suitable, and visits asking about the bears and looking for them will always warm the locals views of these powerful animals.

There are a handful of lynx in Austria, but not in the Alpine region, as such they are beyond the scope of this page (though I hope to write a page on their home range in the near future).

Visits due to the presence of big predators, gives locals reason to protect and value the local wildlife they share their land with. Even a few visits can make an out-sized difference.

Beyond predators, there are healthy populations of chamois deer and marmots. A holiday in the Austrian Alps can give wildlife sightings, even if at the moment large predators are absent from much of the country.

Much of Austria is covered in the alps, so zoom in on the parts of the map that interest you.

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Romania Carpathians

Romania Carpathians

50% of the Carpathians lie within Romania. Forming a great arc, which largely encloses Brasov – this city nestled in the foothills of the mountains is one of Romania’s largest. Partly due to rules during the communist era only allowing the President and his inner circle from hunting, the bears wolves and Lynx population is far larger than the countries that surround it. About 6000 bears live within Romania (about 40% of the European population), about 3000 wolves (20-25% of Europe’s population) and 1200-1500 Lynx (which account for 12%- 20% depending on estimates).

Apart from these large populations of predators, the Carpathian mountains are also carpeted with  65% or about 2/3  of the remaining virgin forests of Europe. This alone make this area of wilderness well worth visiting. There is something special about visiting ecosystems that have not been severely impacted by humans, we have become incredibly good at restoring ecosystems, however there is still something different about an ecosystem that has never needed this.

This is not to say, that humans have not touched this landscape. Only recently, European bison were reintroduced to Romania. However it is still very much an area of Europe where it feels like you have stepped back in time. Horse drawn carts are common, indeed there are parts of this region where they make up the majority of vehicles. It is quite normal to see people using scythes in the fields, and hay stacks are as they have been for centuries.

Another thing we enjoyed was the regular stork nests built on top of telephone poles throughout the region.

With such a vast area of wilderness within the boundaries of the country, I cannot highlight the whole area, but will attempt to give you an overview of some of the areas.

More than half of the Carpathians lie within Romania. Much damage and cruelty was done by the communist party – whether there were good intentions as it was set up. One of the few positives of the incredible greed and selfishness of these leaders was wildlife hunting. Tovarasui presidente Nicolae Ceausecu the Communist leader of Romania for 24 years, declared that the only people who were allowed to hunt the big 3 (bears wolves and lynx) was himself and close political allies. As you can imagine, when only 30-50 people are allowed to hunt, less hunting goes on. Nowadays approximately 7000 bears roam Romania (out of a continental population of 17,000), 2,500 wolves (out of a continental population of about 12,000) and around 1,500 lynx (out of a European population of 9000-10,000). 

Below is a map of the Romanian Carpathians. They are a huge area, so you will have to zoom in on the section of the map that interests you to see the places available to stay.

Below the map I list some of the best areas regularly listed as giving you the highest chance of spotting these charismatic animals.

Return to the Carpathian mountains page

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WOLVES

Wolves are often one of the animals people are most keen on seeing.

To be perfectly honest, the phobia that humans have about wolves make no sense; sure there are many stories with wolves as the baddy, think red ridding hood among many others. It is also true that across areas where wolves still roam, farmers are in a constant battle of wits with them. However, many of these same farmers share their home with a domesticated wolf the dog. Our positive relationship with wolves goes back far further than the negative one, back to our time as a hunter gatherer. Wolves rarely harm humans, and while you should never approach wolves intentionally they are unlikely to show aggression without reason.

In Romania, there are a number of regions where wolf sightings are relatively common.

Piatra Craiului National Park which lies in the center of Romania, close to its second biggest city, Brasov, is known as a wolf hot spot. In particular the area around Zarnesti gorge, which is found within the park. Another hot spot, in a similar area is Ciuma Peak also in central Romania. Having said that, wolves are widespread throughout Romania, and so anywhere you go, sightings are possible at the right time of day – with both patience and luck. 

You also stand a chance of hearing the eerie howl of a wolf echo across the landscape, something that still has the power to send a chill up the spine. In actual fact, the wolf howl is not meant to scare but rather as a way for wolves to communicate when the wolf pack has spread out. Whats more, wolves will use howling as a means to space out packs and avoid having to fight.

BEARS

Bears are also a huge fascination for humans. Around Europe where bears still roam, bear hides are becoming increasingly common. In the past all bear hides would have been used for hunter to wait for their prey to arrive, thankfully while a small number of bears are still hunted (and there have been attempts to be allowed to kill more) bears are increasingly recognized as a species that it is worth preserving as they are worth far more alive for tourism than dead.

Munții Maramureșului Natural Park, as well as Cheile Bicazului – Hășmaș National Park, Cheile Nerei – Beușnița National Park, and Călimani are some of the best places to see this beautiful animal. However with the need of a sizable territory each, and more than 10,000 within Romania’s borders, you can be sure that most suitable territory will be utilized. In the past, they were found in all habitat within Romania, nowadays though they are mostly restricted to the mountains (within Romania a large area)

LYNX

Far and away they shyest of the 3, these are seen more rarely. Keeping away from human habitation, your best chance of seeing these fascinating cats is early in the morning or late evening deep in the forests. As there are plenty of areas which fit this description, there are many areas to search for Lynx. The population of Lynx in Romania is higher than anywhere else apart from Russia.

BISON

Almost lost in all of Europe in the middle of the 20th century, the bison is making a comeback across much of Europe. Reintroduced into Romania (they disappeared around 1790, far later than the UK where they disappeared in the 12th century). The largest wild living herd in Europe lives within the borders of Romania in the Tarcu Mountains, close to the village of Armenis. There have been a series of re-introductions with 40 recent releases joining the rest. They are spread across 5 different reserves. Bison are hugely important in rewilding projects as they are capable of bulldozing areas, and creating open spaces. There are plans for bison reintroduction in the UK which will hopefully occur in the next few years. the Acris reservation hosts around 34 with other villages in the area having similar sized populations.

 

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