Couleur Croatie

The refuge of the bears in Kuterevo

The Bear Sanctuary is located in Kuterevo, near Otocac in the Lika region, home to many of the thousands of brown bears in Croatia.
It was created at the initiative of a villager, Ivan, who had found 2 orphan bears and raised them in company of his dog Miso.The bears without their mother are unable to return to the wild life; in fact, in the wild, the babys bears are raised by his mother during 2 years before being able to fend for himself in nature.
The refuge has been run by an association since 2002 and operates thanks to volunteers from all countries who come for a few weeks to several months. It welcomes orphans who will spend the rest of their lives there.
The objective is to reconstitute at best the living conditions of the bears in the surrounding massif to give them a living environment closer to the natural setting.
The refuge has 2 parks: 1 for young bears and another for adult bears and has 9 boarders in 2017 including 3 young people from 5 to 7 years old. Bears are fed twice a day with a diet of fruits and vegetables, dry bread and seeds. In winter they hibernate on the spot in their lairs and remain invisible, the refuge is closed at this time.
The site operates through donations and welcomes approximately 20,000 visitors each year.