bear watching in Slovakia (1 Viewer)

[Phil_Callagher]

Hi all,

Does anyone know anything about the Slovak Wildlife Society and the bear watching trips they do in the Tatra Mountains? They have a website with lots of details, but I tried the email address provided ([email protected]) weeks ago and got no reply so far - are they still in business?

I know that there is also a wildlife tour company 'Adventoura Slovakia' but they don't start the tours until June and my friends and I will be in Slovakia at the end of April.

We are actually staying in Eger in Hungary and were planning to make some trips into Slovakia so any suggestions would be welcome, particularly regarding Bears, Tengmalm's Owl or Chamois.

Phil, Scarborough, England

 

[Carpathian Ed]

If you want to see bears then you're better off going to the Tatras just before Winter or in early Spring because that's when they start wandering down the street of ski resorts. My friend's got a nice place in Stary Smokovec and they have a real problem with bears. Thankfully, we get them passing through my area but not stopping. I sometimes find their scat or prints in the bush and it's a terrifying moment of realization.
As for Tengmalm's owl, I've only ever seen one and that was on my balcony a couple of years back. Really cool how it turned its head to look at us before flying off. It was literally a couple of feet away from the window.
The Chamois are unique to the Tatras and are different to the Alpine variety