Large Predators In Austria: What You Need To Know

Austria is home to a variety of wildlife, including several large predators. The country's diverse landscape, ranging from mountains and forests to lakes and rivers, provides habitats for many species.

Among the large predators in Austria are the Eurasian lynx, brown bears, and wolves. These species were once abundant but declined due to direct persecution and environmental changes in the 18th and 19th centuries. However, efforts have been made to reintroduce them, and their populations are now slowly recovering. Other large predators in Austria include the red fox, wild boar, and golden jackal.

Austria's national parks and wildlife reserves offer excellent opportunities to observe these predators in their natural habitats.

Brown bears

In the late 1800s, brown bears were hunted to extinction in Austria. However, in 1972, a migrant brown bear from Slovenia wandered into the Styrian-Lower Austrian border area. By the late 1990s, the population had increased to around 25-30 bears in the Austrian mountains. To protect the bears and reduce conflict with humans, a management plan was implemented, which included strategic measures such as education, fencing, and compensation for damage caused by bears, as well as operational measures like a 'rapid response' capability to deal with problems and avoid danger to people.

Despite these efforts, the Austrian brown bear population has stagnated, with an estimated population of 25-30 bears in the Alps mountain range. The reasons for this stagnation are not fully understood, but may be due to a combination of factors such as the emigration of young bears, high mortality rates among adolescent bears, and poaching. To address this issue, a LIFE-Nature project was initiated to monitor the bear population and identify possible migration corridors and barriers. The project also aimed to increase cross-border cooperation with Italy and Slovenia to facilitate the migration of bears from the Dinaric Alps, as the small population size in Austria increases the risks of inbreeding.

Overall, brown bears are rare in Austria, and attacks on humans are very uncommon. However, it is important to take precautions when visiting forested areas, such as making noise to avoid surprising the bears and respecting their habitats by maintaining a safe distance.

Wolves

In the monitoring year 2020/2021, a total of 50 individual wolves were detected in Austria. The number of confirmed adult and subadult wolves increased from 6 in 2016 to 32 in 2019. All packs are located in the lowlands of Northern Austria. The wolves in Austria show high turnover rates, with the exception of the parent wolves from the Allentsteig pack. Individual wolves in the Alps can be detected for an average of 5 months by genetic evidence and 7 months including all signs. The average times in non-alpine areas are 5 and 13 months, respectively.

The return of wolves to Austria has sparked a tough public debate. While the majority of Austrians are in favour of their return, some groups, such as sheep keepers and hunters, oppose it completely and have asked for wolf-free zones or even a wolf-free Austria.

Eurasian lynx

The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized wild cat species native to Europe and Asia. It is the third-largest predator in Europe, after brown bears and wolves. The species is widely distributed across Northern, Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Central Asia, Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas. The Eurasian lynx is an elusive and sneaky cat, known for its powerful build and ability to navigate through deep snow.

The Eurasian lynx has a reddish or brown coat marked with black spots, with a whitish underbelly, neck and chin. Its fur is brighter and has more spots towards the southern end of its range. It has long legs, large webbed and furred paws, a short tail with a black tip, black tufts of hair on its ears, and a long grey-and-white ruff.

The species is an ambush predator, hunting small to large mammals and birds, including hares, rabbits, marmots, squirrels, dormice, muskrats, martens, grouse, red foxes, wild boar, chamois, young moose, European roe deer, red deer, reindeer and other ungulates. It is a solitary animal, with males tending to hunt over larger areas than females, which occupy exclusive hunting ranges. The Eurasian lynx is most active during the early morning and evening, and is mainly nocturnal or crepuscular.

The mating season of the Eurasian lynx lasts from January to April, with females typically fertile for only around three days. The gestation period is between 67 and 74 days, and females give birth to litters of around two kittens, though there can be up to five in a litter. The kittens are dependent on their mother for food and protection, and they remain with her until they are around ten months old.

The Eurasian lynx is a protected species, listed as near-threatened by the IUCN since 2002. Its population is threatened by habitat loss, poaching and depletion of prey. It is also killed by humans, with a higher proportion of deaths caused by humans than by infectious diseases.

Red deer

The red deer (Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest deer species in the world. They are found in most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of western Asia. They are the only living species of deer to inhabit Africa, where they can be found in the Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa.

Male red deer grow antlers that start growing in the spring and are shed annually, usually at the end of winter. Antlers typically measure around 71 cm (28 in) in length and weigh about 1 kg (2.2 lb). However, larger antlers can grow up to 115 cm (45 in) in length and weigh up to 5 kg (11 lb). These antlers are made of bone and can grow at a rate of 2.5 cm (1 in) per day.

During the mating season, known as the rut, mature stags compete for the attention of hinds. Rival stags challenge each other by belling and walking in parallel, assessing each other's antlers, body size, and fighting prowess. If neither stag backs down, a clash of antlers may occur, sometimes resulting in serious injuries.

Female red deer reach sexual maturity at 2 years of age. Their gestation period is between 240 to 262 days, and they typically give birth to one or, very rarely, two offspring per year. The offspring weigh about 15 kg (35 lb) at birth and remain with their mothers for almost a full year.

In terms of their diet, red deer are ruminants, meaning they eat their food in two stages. They also have an even number of toes on each hoof, similar to camels, goats, and cattle.

In Austria, red deer can be found in national parks such as Hohe Tauern National Park and High Tauern National Park. They are one of the largest animal species in the country, weighing up to 440 pounds on average.

Wild boars

In Austria, wild boars live in forests and prefer wet areas. They are omnivores, eating roots, fruits, worms, insect larvae, ground-nesting birds, frogs, snakes, rodents, and carrion. They are good swimmers and well-adapted to life in wetland forests. They are most active at dusk, dawn, and night, resting during the day in undergrowth or in shallow hollows they have dug out.

The female wild boars (sows) live with their young (piglets) in groups (sounders), while males (boars) tend to be loners. During the mating season (November to January), vicious battles may occur among boars, where they use their large canines (tusks) to attack opponents. In March and April, females give birth to a litter of three to twelve piglets. Sows with young piglets will defend their young aggressively and may attack those who come too close—even humans.

In recent times, healthy growth of wild boar populations and an enlargement of their range have been observed in Austria. They can be found in all Central European hunting areas except the high mountain regions.

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