Do bears, wolves and lynxes live in your favorite holiday destination? In-depth maps show how widespread the fearsome predators are across Europe after a terrifying brown bear attack in Slovakia left two injured.
A fascinating map shows how bears, wolves and lynx are distributed across Europe and how close they are to holiday destinations.
For thousands of years, the land predators have lived across the continent, from eastern areas of Poland and Romania to Italy, France and Spain.
Today, some of their habitats are closer to tourist destinations than visitors may realize. And a recent bear attack, which hospitalized two people in the Slovak town of Liptovský Mikuláš on March 15, has drawn attention to their presence.
Find out how close your favorite European holiday spot is to bears, wolves and lynx using the interactive map below from MailOnline Travel, based on data from the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE).
These photos show the terrifying moment a bear rampaged through a Slovak town on March 15. The attack hospitalized two people at Liptovsky Mikulas.
Brown bears
According to research, up to 18,000 brown bears live in 22 countries in Europe the LCIEciting data from 2016.
France and Spain are among popular holiday destinations with a growing population of brown bears. This includes Spain’s Cantabrian Mountains, which number between 321 and 335, and the French Pyrenees, where there are 30.
The animals, which can weigh up to 50 pounds (320 kg), can also be found in a part of the Alps that includes Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland. The population here is between 45 and 69 years old.
Europe is home to no fewer than 18,000 brown bears, spread across 22 countries
The largest population (7,360) is found in the Carpathians of Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.
While the most far-reaching group is the ‘Dinaric-Pindos’ (3,950), which spans Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.
Wolves
Europe is home to approximately 17,000 wolves, spread across nine populations in 27 countries. Pictured here is a wolf in the Czech Republic
According to figures from Statistics Netherlands, there are approximately 17,000 wolves spread across Europe the LCIEwith nine population groups in 27 countries – more than half of the 44 in Europe.
A growing number of wolves prowl the central European lowlands of Germany and Poland, where between 780 and 1,030 wolves live, as well as in the Alps of Austria, France, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland (420 to 550).
Just like the brown bears, the Carpathians have a healthy wolf population (3,460 to 3,849). But unlike the bears, this extends to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia.
The largest wolf population is the Dinaric-Balkan group (about 4,000), found in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.
Other groups include those in northwestern Spain and Portugal (estimated at 2,500 in 2007), Finland (about 200), and Norway and Sweden (about 430).
Lynx
Between 8,000 and 9,000 lynx live in Europe. Pictured here is an Iberian lynx in Spain
Europe is home to 8,000 to 9,000 lynxes, spread across 11 groups in 21 countries. LCIE data shows.
The predators, which feed on animals such as deer, birds and sheep, are mainly found in Finland, which has a stable population of 2,500 people.
As with bears and wolves, a large population is found in the Carpathian Mountains (2,100 to 2,400) of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine.
Other groups include the Scandinavian lynx found in Norway and Sweden (1,300 to 1,800), the Jura lynx found in France and Switzerland (140), and the Baltic lynx in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine (1,200 to 1,500).
The only two growing populations are found in the Harz Mountains of Germany (46) and the Alpine region of Austria, France, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland (163).