NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA, SLOVENIA

BITS AND PIECESABOUT THE BATSOF BELA KRAJINAPrimož PresetnikCentre for the Cartography of Fauna and Flora For several decades, Slovenian bat researchers have considered Bela krajinasomewhat mystical, given that certain bat species or maternity roosts have beendiscovered in this area for the very first time. In 1959, for example, Boris Sket wasthe first in Slovenia to find the Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus eu-ryale) and the Long-fingered Bat (Myotis capaccinii), which was at that time stillnot a confirmed species in eastern Slovenia, in the Dolenjski zdenec cave near thevillage of Dolenjci. The cave thus became a mandatory stop for every bat expert,although it cannot be indisputably claimed that we have seen these two species init ever again. In the last decade, however, the Mediterranean Horseshoe Bats havebeen recorded during our winter inspections of two over 50 metres deep caves,from which Stanko Klepec, the local caver, had reported on piles of guano. InPetrišina jama cave north of Zilje, we have counted between zero and fifty of them,while in Flekova jama cave near Breznik between one hundred and thirty andone hundred and seventy have been counted. Indeed, it would have been wise toinspect both caves during the summer, since both of them may have been used bythe Mediterranean Horseshoe Bats even as maternity roosts, which have not beenknown in Bela krajina as yet. We are, however, familiar with maternity roosts oftheir related Greater (R. ferrumequinum) and Lesser Horseshoe Bats (R. hippo-sideros). In 1997, a group led by Andrej Hudoklin discovered, in the Church ofthe Holy Spirit in Črnomelj, the first nursery group of the Great Horseshoe Batsin Slovenia, which was eventually well researched by the Bela krajina biologistNataša Zupančič. She concluded, among other things, that Horseshoe Bats settlein the attic in early May and leave it in early September. Although the Church ofthe Holy Spirit was totally renovated by 2007, the nature conservation supervi-sion enabled the bats to retain their maternity roost in the attic – you can have alook at it on the screen in the chancel, which broadcasts pictures transmitted bythe camera positioned in the attic. Special roost entrances were made for them,and as the entrances are not illuminated during the summer, the bats can freelyemerge from the attic. For the visitors who happen to be there just after the sunset, NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 201

the Greater Horseshoe Bats, whose wingspan reaches no less than from thirty Hibernating Greater andto forty centimetres, exhibit a true air show. Apart from more than a hundred Lesser Horseshoe Bats.Horseshoe Bats, more than fifty Geoffroy’s Bats (M. emarginatus) bear young in Photo: Primož Presetnikthis church as well. A similar mixed colony brings forth their young in the attic ofa private house at Mestni trg (Town Square) in Metlika. Its owners have acceptedit proudly, for maternity roosts of this kind are very rare; their respect for themmay have also been enhanced by the fact that some of the Greater Horseshoe Bats,ringed in Metlika, were found during their hibernation in thirty kilometres dis-tant Luknja cave at Prečna and in Apolonova jama cave in the middle of Kočevskoforests. Unfortunately, the roof of the private house is in such a bad state thatboth the state and the local community should take part in its renovation, if thismaternity roost is to be preserved. In the winter 2001/2002, an extensive surveyof potential hibernacula was carried out in the lower parts of Bela krajina, and itwas estimated that about ten Greater and some forty Lesser Horseshoe Bats werehibernating in the natural caves lying lower than three hundred metres above sealevel. At the same time, however, we added cautiously that during hibernationthe Greater Horseshoe Bats form fairly large clusters and that discovery of such acluster could significantly change the estimate of their numbers. And we indeedfound a hibernating group of Greater Horseshoe Bats in the already mentioned Group of Greater Horseshoe Bats hibernating in Flekova jama cave. Photo: Primož Presetnik202

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Ankin his with thatched roof is one of the rare Lesser Horseshoe Bats’ maternity roosts in Bela krajina. Photo: Primož PresetnikFlekova jama cave, where forty were counted in 2009 and no less than one hun- A Lesser Horseshoe Batdred and thirteen in 2011. In an abandoned house at Bojanci, the first known with her young in the atticSlovenian nursery group of Lesser Horseshoe Bats (which weigh no more than of Ankin his.five to six grams) was recorded in 1979. Since then, thirteen smaller maternity Photo: Primož Presetnikroosts have been found; unfortunately, quite few of them have been destroyed, asthe animals have been forced to leave the attics due to the carried out renovations204

and closing of roost entrances. A very interesting and still existing maternity roost can be seen in the Ankin his with thatched roof near Dragovanja vas, where Lesser Horseshoe Bats with their young can be observed with a little luck during a guid- ed tour of the house. Owing to the roost entrances being closed, two of the four maternity roosts of the Greater Mouse-eared Bats (Myotis myotis) have been de- stroyed; of these, between a hundred and three hundred are giving birth to their young in the belfry of the Ecce Homo Church at Tri fare. Badly degraded was also the maternity roost in the church at Dolnji Suhor near Metlika, where more than five hundred animals had been counted prior to the roost entrances being blocked. Do we really still wish to lose so very important house maternity roosts? We have mentioned only six of the twenty bat species so far recorded in Bela kra- jina, and even for them we have been able to present just some »bits and pieces« of our knowledge, as no more was allowed by the limited volume of this booklet. Bela krajina, however, literally swarms with bats, so see for yourselves by merely waiting along fairly large standing water or merely near a roadside lamp – and you will certainly see quite a few bats hunting at night.Belfry of the Ecce Homo ReferencesChurch at Tri fare is oneof the two existing Greater Aupič, N. (2004). Prehrana velikega podkovnjaka (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum Schreber, 1774) inMouse-eared Bats’ sezonska dinamika poletne kolonije v cerkvi sv. Duh v Črnomlju. Diplomsko delo. Univerzitetnimaternity roosts. študij. Ljubljana: Univerza v Ljubljani, Biotehniška fakulteta, Oddelek za biologijo, 52 str.Photo: Primož Presetnik Hudoklin, A., Koselj, K., Rehak, Z., Zukal, J. (1996). Slovenia (5. 9.–8. 9. 1996). 6 str. [neobjavljeno poročilo]. Kryštufek, B. (1982). Mali sesalci (Micromammalia) Bele krajine. V: Plut, D. (ur.), Mladinska raziskovalna tabora Vinica '79 in '80 (str. 74–81). Ljubljana: Republiški koordinacijski odbor gibanja »Znanost mladini«. Kryštufek, B. (1992). Sesalci (Mammalia) Dolenjske. V: A. Hudoklin (ur.), Seidlov zbornik (str. 189–203). Novo mesto: Dolenjska založba. (Dolenjski zbornik, 1992) Presetnik, P. (2002). Poročilo o delovanju skupine za netopirje. V: Gergeli, A. (ur.), Raziskovalni tabor študentov biologije Semič 2001 (str. 48–50). Ljubljana: Zveza za tehnično kulturo Slovenije. Presetnik, P., Zupančič, N. (2006). Netopirji v prezimovališčih v Beli krajini pozimi 2001–2002. Natura Sloveniae 8 (1), 33–42. Presetnik, P., Koselj, K., Zagmajster, M., Zupančič, N., Jazbec, K., Žibrat, U., Petrinjak, A., Hudoklin, A. (2009). Atlas netopirjev (Chiroptera) Slovenije, Atlas of bats (Chiroptera) of Slovenia. Miklavž na Dravskem polju: Center za kartografijo favne in flore. (Atlas faunae et florae Sloveniae; 2). 152 str. Presetnik, P., Hudoklin, A., Zupančič, N. (2010). Varstveni ukrepi za ohranjanje kotišča netopirjev med obnovo cerkve svetega Duha v Črnomlju – stavbe kulturne dediščine. Varstvo narave 23, 5–23. NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 205

Beaver habitat along the Dobličica River.Photo: Mojca Jernejc Kodrič206

BEAVERS ON THEDOBLIČICA RIVERMojca Jernejc KodričSlovenian Museum of Natural History The Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) appeared on the Dobličica River forthe first time in 2002. This largest European rodent clearly felt so well in the areaof the river and its tributary, the Jelševnik, that it settled there. Into Slovenia,including Bela krajina, it spread from the neighbouring Croatia, where beaversbrought from Bavaria were being introduced between 1996 and 1998. At theend of 2000, the entire Croatian population was estimated at 130  – 150 in-dividuals. In the past, the reintroduction of beavers took place in many otherEuropean countries as well, primarily due to the fact that the species found it-self on the verge of extinction in the early 20th century. Beaver was overhuntedmainly owing to its fur and castoreum (glandular secretion). Once upon a time,castoreum was used as a cure for many diseases, while today it is still in use forthe making of perfumes. Thanks to the conservation measures and numerousreintroductions, the species finally managed to recover in their numbers. InSlovenia, the beaver was probably exterminated in the 18th century. Kryštufek,Hudoklin & Pavlin (2006) state that it resettled in Slovenia in a natural wayin 1998 as a consequence of its introduction in Croatia. Initially, it establishedits residence on the Krka River near its confluence with the Radulja and in thelower course of the latter, in 2002 on the Dobličica, in the winter 2003/2004 onthe upper Krka, and in the ensuing years on the Mura (2005), Sotla (2005) andDrava (2006). The information about the beaver’s presence on the Dobličica wasreceived from the Hunting Association of Slovenia, the Hunting Societies ofČrnomelj and Loka Črnomelj, and the Angling Society of Črnomelj. During the two inspections made out in 2003, few felled poplarsand some other signs of activities associated with the beavers’ feeding activ-ities were noted. In spring 2004, too, some gnawed trunks of trees damagedby them in the previous winter were found along the upper course of theDobličica at the section spreading from the bridge near Dobliče to Kanižaricaand in its tributary Jelševnik. In this area, beaver trails leading to the near-by corn fields were observed in the summers of 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 207

The first shot of the beaver that resettled in Slovenia in a natural way. Along the Radulja it was photo-trapped in June 2001. Photo: Dušan Pavlin (source: Scopolia, No. 59, 2006, Slovenian Museum of Natural History).Beavers bring down trees by gnawing – in this way they get both, food and buildingmaterial. On the gnawed trunk, grooved traces of lower incisors are well seen.Photo: Mojca Jernejc Kodrič208

Beaver trail on the bank of Dobličica, leading from the river to the nearby corn field. Photo: Mojca Jernejc Kodrič No beaver lodges were found in the before men- tioned section. On the right bank of the river, however, few entrances to the beaver dens were noticed at the water level. Multiple observa- tions of beavers and their traces in the section under consideration were also reported by the Kanižarica and Jelševnik villagers. According to the reports by A. Hudoklin from the Novo mesto unit of the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, bea- vers have been constantly present on the Dobličica also in the last few years. They frequented particu- larly the river’s upper course at the section between Kanižarica and Dobliče, with the core of theirTraces of the beavers’ activities along the Dobličica River;trees thoroughly gnawed in the winter of 2004. Photo: Alenka Kryštufek(source: Scopolia, No. 59, 2006, Slovenian Museum of Natural History). NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 209

Beaver’s skull with long and powerful incisors. Their outer side is covered with orange-brown enamel. (From the collection of the Slovenian Natural History Museum). Photo: Ciril Mlinar Cicactivities taking place in the wider area of the outfall of the Jelševnik stream into Characteristic scalythe Dobličica and in the lower course of Jelševnik, where most of the signs of dorso-ventrally flattenedfeeding on riparian vegetation and on nearby corn fields were seen. On the left beaver’s tail. With its aidbank of Dobličica, some two hundred metres from the Jelševnik outfall, some it steers when swimmingdens collapsed some time ago. and propelling itself with hind legs. When in During the inspection in September 2012, numerous well-established jeopardy, it loudly hits thetrails leading to the only few metres distant corn fields could be seen particularly water surface with its tail,on the river’s right bank. thus warning members of its family of oncoming The area of Dobličica and Jelševnik provides the beavers with suitable danger. (From thefood sources (rich riparian and water vegetation, corn fields in their immediate collection of the Slovenianvicinity). Some sections of the river are lined with high banks, into which the Natural History Museum).beavers can dig their dens. Much to their liking is also the calm river flow and the Photo: Ciril Mlinar Cicpermanent water level. From the source of Dobličica to the outfall of Jelševnikcultural landscape prevails, while under the Jelševnik outfall forests are prevalent.210

Rich aquatic vegetation In Bela krajina, beavers inhabit the Lahinja as well. This assertion hasand lush herbage on been confirmed by the recovery of an individual run over by a vehicle in thethe banks of Dobličica vicinity of Gradac in March 2013.River. Photo:Mojca Jernejc Kodrič As beavers are restricted to the aquatic environment, they never move too far away from water, to which they are adapted very well. They have bulky spindle-shaped body and short legs. Their eyes and ears are small. The water- proof fur consists of exceptionally dense undercoat covered by long stiff guard hairs. Before diving, they close their canals and nasal openings, and cover their eyes with special transparent membrane, which protects their organ of sight and enables them to look under water. Owing to the special throat and oral cavity adaptations, they can feed under water as well. They swim by propelling them- selves with their hind legs, while their powerful scaly dorso-ventrally flattened tail, is used for steering. The tail also serves them as support in upright position, they store reserve fat in it and cool themselves in heat by soaking it in the water. When in jeopardy, they loudly hit the water surface with their tail before im- mersing, thus warning members of their family of coming danger. The toes of their hind legs are webbed. They are excellent swimmers and divers and can stay underwater up to fifteen minutes. The traces of beavers’ activities, such as felled trees and gnawed branches, are more obvious in autumn and winter, as the beavers’ menu changes seasonally. Over winter, they feed mainly on woody vegetation, while in spring and summer they resort to aquatic plants, herbs, grasses and field crops. Beavers live in family groups composed of adult pair and their young of different ages. They are terri- torial and active predominantly at dusk and night. References Grubešić, M. (2006). Dabar. V: Tvrtković, N. (ur.) Crvena knjiga sisavaca Hrvatske (str. 39–40). Zagreb: Ministarstvo kulture republike Hrvatske, Državni zavod za zaštitu prirode. Kryštufek, B., Hudoklin, A., Pavlin, D. (2006). Bober (Castor fiber) v Sloveniji. Scopolia 59, 1–41. NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 211

Edible Dormouse female with her youngPhoto: Tomi Trilar212

EDIBLE DORMOUSEAndrej HudoklinInstitute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation,Novo mesto Regional Unit Dormice constitute an ancient group of rodents. Today, 28 species areknown, inhabiting different environments of the Old World. Slovenia is home tofour dormouse species, three of which are traditional inhabitants of Bela krajina,i.e. Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), Forest Dormouse (Dryomysnitedula) and, of course, the Edible Dormouse (Glis glis), which is probably oneof the best recognizable animal species in Slovenia apart from the Blind CaveSalamander, Brown Bear and Cave Beetle. It is the only mammal species, whosescientific name is based on specimens found in Slovenia, while its most strikingfeature is the fact that it has been traditionally hunted for at least two millennia,which is beyond all comparison in Europe. The Edible Dormouse’s natural environment is Europe, spreading fromthe Pyrenees in the west to the Volga River in the east. In Slovenia it is gener-ally distributed from the Coastland in the SW part of the country to the uppertreeline, but is particularly common in deciduous and coniferous forests withthe presence of fruit-bearing tree species such as beech and oak. In Bela krajina itis found in large numbers especially in karstified wooded mountains of Gorjanci,Radoha, Kočevski Rog and Poljanska gora. This little rodent, which does notexceed twenty centimetres in length, is recognized by its silvery-gray fur, whitebelly and bushy tail. Like most of nocturnal animals, the Edible Dormouse hasbig eyes, too, but relies mainly on the senses of smell, hearing and touch for ori-entation. Dormouse’s body weight is highly variable, depending on the season,which means that at the beginning of hibernation it can weigh as much as 350grams owing to its fat accumulation. Dormouse spends the day sleeping in a cavity or underground. It makesno true nest, but at times lines a man-made nest box with fresh leaves. As faras the dormouse’s population in Slovenia is concerned it applies that the num-bers of adult individuals are more or less constant, except that their activitieschange a great deal. The population density is six individuals per hectare, whilein autumn, when the young gain their independence, the average density is no NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 213

Edible Dormouse Photo: Tomi Trilarless than fifteen to sixteen individuals per hectare. Males make use of larger area(0.8 – 2.0 ha) than females (0.15 – 0.76 ha). In the years when beech bears fruit,dormice occur in huge numbers. This phenomenon, which has been stirringpeople’s imagination for centuries, is still poorly known; in the past, it was in-terpreted as the work of supernatural forces. Dormouse is largely a herbivorousanimal, sticking to its »seasonal menu«. In spring, these are mainly blossoms,bark, buds and young leaves, in summer insects and the very first seeds and fruits,in autumn the nutritious fruits of beech, oak and hornbeam, on which probablydepends, in our conditions, the hibernation success.214

Cap made of Dormice breed only in the years when beech or oak bear fruit. It is cleardormouse skin. that these animals receive a message from their environment, most probablyPhoto: Janko Dermastja through food, but no actual details are known. They have two broods a year with four to nine young. The majority of females bring forth their offspring only once in their lives. The young are born between the end of July and early August, and start leaving their nests after a month. They become full-grown very fast – in about two months. Their body weight increases by 2.4% on average each day. Dormice react to unfavourable environmental conditions, when there is no food available in nature, with dormancy. The normal temperature of an adult dormouse is 36.7°C. While dormant during its winter sleep, its body temper- ature is reduced to 0.7°C. Although its winter sleep lasts from seven to eight months (October – May), great differences exist between separate years. In our country, dormice start hibernating with the first frosts and usually wake up at the end of April. During hibernation, they lose between 35 and 50% of their body weight, which was greatly increased in the autumn on the account of their subcutaneous fat that is accumulated mostly in their abdominal cavity and par- ticularly under the skin. Dormice’s life expectancy is surprisingly long, for they can live to see more than ten years. In a single population, however, only one tenth of dormice are more than four years old. Females are older on average (3.3 years) than males (2.2 years). They are prey to at least fifteen vertebrates, particularly owls and mar- tens, and victims of 63 species of parasites (endoparasites, worms, flukes, mites, lice, fleas). As a delicacy, dormice were highly esteemed already by the ancient Romans, who raised them in clay vessels called gliraria. Until recently, dormouse hunting was known in Spain, France, Italy and Ukraine, but has managed to survive only in Slovenia and Croatia. Many decades ago, dormouse hunting (or “dormousing” as known in our country) was one of the most characteristic types of rural hunting in Slovenia and, as such, unique in Europe. The first testimo- ny on this kind of hunting and dormouse consump- tion dates back to 1240, while dormouse hunting by serfs was documented for the first time at Senožeče (1460) and Vipava (1499). In those times, hunting was taxed, as written already by our polymath Janez Vajkard Valvasor. In the past, dormice were hunted mainly for food, given that they were the only source of protein due to the lack of arable land (which is a true pecu- liarity in Europe), as well as for fur, which was used for the making of several useful articles. Most sali- ent among them are dormouse fur hats, which were known from the 18th century onwards and have become part of the winter peasant costume and the symbol of Slovenians in the last hundred years. One NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 215

of still highly esteemed products is the dormouse fat, which has been used infolk medicine from at least the 16th century as a cure for people’s and animals’external and internal diseases. With dormice, farmers once enriched their win-ter food supplies. Furthermore, the caught dormice enabled them to sell theirfur and medicinal dormouse fat. Notranjska and Dolenjska were the major dor-mouse hunting regions in Slovenia. Dormice were hunted with several types of wooden traps placed in treesor in front of their underground homes, where various baits and other acces-sories were used. The oldest and simplest manner of dormouse hunting is theso-called “caviting”: during the day, hunters continually blew into hollow trees,poked rods into them or made smoke with wood fungus; on to the other open-ing they placed a sack, a stocking or a boot – the dormice were hit by a stickor caught by hand. A fairly common form of folk hunting especially on karstground was setting of various chests, sheaths, boxes, barrels etc. in front of thedormice’s underground homes, a practice that is still in use in many places todayin spite of being legally prohibited. The most widely spread manner of huntingwas setting of traps in front of the entrances to their underground hollows andin trees, for which very different home-made traps were used. The numerousversions of the basic trap types in fact indicate simple people’s exceptional talentfor inventions. The oldest known are the traps that were made in the seventeencentury at the latest and functioned by being pulled. When a dormouse grabsthe bait impaled on a spike and pulls it, it triggers the sliding little door on thetrap’s bottom part, which is immediately shut, killing the animal. In the earlynineteenth century, traps with steel spring and little door were developed, whichalso functioned in such a way that killed the animal when the door was shut.On the fringes of Kočevski Rog, numerous traps with tensile coil spring anddoor were also in use; they were made during World War I and were most pop-ular among the Kočevje Germans. In the mid-twentieth century, traps with wirespring without doors began to prevail; they were combined with the mechanismof a simple mouse trap with a spring wire, which are in fact the commonest thesedays. Similar trigger mechanisms or loads with stones were also used in the mak-ing of earth traps that were placed in front of the dormice’s underground homes.According to the code of ethics, however, hunting at these underground hollowsis strongly discouraged today. In many Central European regions, the Edible Dormouse is rare andtherefore protected by law. Slovenia happens to be the only EU member statein which dormouse remains a huntable species. This exception was granted onSlovenia’s entry into the EU in 2004 owing to the national dormouse huntingtradition; on the basis of the Bern Convention, Slovenia should in return pro-vide high quality scientific data on the current status of the species in order toarrange »sustainable encroachment« upon the species population which, how-ever, has not been put into practice as yet. Slovenian hunting legislation (OfficialGazette of the Republic of Slovenia, Nr. 17/2008) and Decrees on game andhunting season stipulation (Official Gazette, Nr. 101/04) treat it as a huntable216

Edible Dormouse species, allowing it to be culled between October 1st and November 39th. ThePhoto: Tomi Trilar right of hunting does not require a hunting licence but just a dormouse hunting permit, which can be issued to an individual by the competent hunting associ- ation. It can also be issued to its members by a registered dormouse society or a federation of societies, which acquires the permits from the area managers. In the twentieth century, the dormouse hunting tradition gradually lost contact with its original rural hunting inception. However, in order to still pre- serve this unique folk tradition, dormouse hunting societies began to be estab- lished in certain traditional dormouse hunting environments. In Bela krajina, they operate in Semič and Črnomelj. References Hudoklin, A., Kryštufek, B. (2001). Polharska pot. Druščina polharjev POLH na Dolenjskem. 8 str., zgibanka. Hudoklin, A., Kryštufek, B. (2012). Polharska soba na Pogorelcu, gradivo za razstavo. Druščina polharjev POLH na Dolenjskem. Kryštufek, B. (2004). Polh, neznani znanec iz sosednjega gozda. Gea 14, 16–22. Kryštufek, B. (2007). Navadni polh – značilnosti in življenje. V: Kryštufek, B., Flajšman, B. (ur.), Polh in človek (str. 43–89). Ljubljana: Ekološki forum LDS; Liberalna akademija. Peršič, M., (2007). Človek in polh. V: Kryštufek, B., Flajšman, B. (ur.), Polh in človek (str. 93–154). Ljubljana: Ekološki forum LDS; Liberalna akademija. Kryštufek, B. (1992). Sesalci (Mammalia) Dolenjske. V: A. Hudoklin (ur.), Seidlov zbornik (str. 189–203). Novo mesto: Dolenjska založba. (Dolenjski zbornik, 1992). Presetnik, P., Koselj, K., Zagmajster, M., Zupančič, N., Jazbec, K., Žibrat, U., Petrinjak, A., Hudoklin, A. (2009). Atlas netopirjev (Chiroptera) Slovenije, Atlas of bats (Chiroptera) of Slovenia. Miklavž na Dravskem polju: Center za kartografijo favne in flore. (Atlas faunae et florae Sloveniae; 2). 152 str. NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 217

Wolves live in families (packs) that are led byalpha male and alpha female.Photo: Miha Krofel218

LARGE CARNIVORESOF BELA KRAJINAMiha KrofelWildlife Ecology Research Group, Biotechnical Faculty,University of Ljubljana There are very few animal groups that arouse so many emotions in peoplelike the charismatic large carnivores. All three species that inhabit Slovenia – theWolf (Canis lupus), Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) and Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) –are a source of anger, intolerance and fear in some people, while others feel noth-ing but immense respect towards them, recognizing them as a symbol of free-dom and pristine nature. In the past, mostly negative emotions prevailed, oftenin connection with fear of economic loss in livestock breeding. Consequently,large carnivores disappeared from the most parts of Central and WesternEurope, where they had lived continuously from at least the end of the last IceAge. They survived only in some mountainous and hardly accessible areas, suchas Scandinavia, the Carpathians and our Dinarides. In the last few decades, however, the people’s attitude towards these ani-mals has changed quite drastically. With improving knowledge of nature, we areincreasingly appreciating their role in forest ecosystems. At the same time, eth-ical consciousness about the importance of conserving the endangered animalspecies has changed as well. Many people developed sympathy for these animalsand are proud of living in their vicinity. The presumption that there are alreadymore people of this kind in Slovenia than those with negative attitude towardslarge carnivores has been confirmed by recent studies on the attitude of the lo-cals towards all three large carnivore species, with which they coexist. Just as elsewhere in Europe, large carnivores had not fared well in ourcountry in the past. Owing to overhunting, deforestation and loss of prey, thepopulations of all three species were badly decimated, and in the 20th centu-ry both wolves and bears found themselves on the very brink of extinction. In1908, the somewhat more sensitive lynx became extinct, and it is only due to itsreintroduction in 1973 in Kočevski Rog that this largest European cat roams inour forests again. Today, all three species regularly occur mainly in the southern,Dinaric part of Slovenia (including forests of Bela krajina) and, to a lesser ex-tent, in the Alps. Today, it is the lynx that is in greatest danger, and if we do not NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 219

dedicate ourselves to its conservation more actively, a serious possibility existsthat it will again become extinct in Slovenia. The Dinaric part of Slovenia is currently one of the rare areas in which allthree large carnivore species coexist. This simultaneous presence of the BrownBear, Wolf and Eurasian Lynx leads to complex mechanisms characteristic fornatural systems. The lynx, for example, preys mainly on deer and dormice, whilethe wolf ’s main prey is red deer. The two species thus successfully complementeach other in their function in the ecosystem and enable a more effective naturalbalance regulation. In contrast to the lynx and wolf, the bear is not a typicalpredator. Most of its diet consists of plant material and various invertebrates(e.g. ants and wasps). Very important is also that it does not digest plant seeds,but excretes with scats. Due to the great amount of consumed food and greatdistances covered each night, the bear is an important disperser of plant seeds,enabling propagation of many plant species. Although the lynx and the wolf are very efficient predators, they do notattack humans. Till now, no reliable record has been known that either of themwould harm any human in Slovenia. They do not react aggressively even whenwe encounter females with offspring or when people were taking pups from theirdens. Somewhat more protective of their young are female bears which, however,opt to attack only when seeing no other option which man can avoid in mostcases with appropriate behaviour. Most important in such cases is that bears arenot taken by surprise (e.g. during its daytime or winter rest) and that they are notattracted to the proximity of settlements with various garbage, slaughter waste,composts and other unprotected food sources. The future of large carnivores is entirely in our hands, for it is humanswho nowadays decide which species will become extinct and with which theywill be prepared to coexist in this world.About the bears in Bela krajina Like the wolf and the lynx, most bears in Bela krajina live in high Dinaricplateaus of Kočevski Rog and Poljanska gora. The lowlands outside the forestsare visited only occasionally. The bear is special among large carnivores, as it isnot a territorial species. Quite often, several bears inhabit the same area, sharingthe same forest. A research carried out in 2007 showed that the bear density inthe area of Kočevski Rog and Poljanska gora is on average approximately onebear per 1,000 hectares. The bears inhabiting Bela krajina of course do not live only here, but fre-quently visit also other areas. This was nicely demonstrated by Katja, a three-year- old and eighty kilograms heavy female bear, which was captured in 2008within the framework of our research at the Biotechnical Faculty in cooperationwith the Slovenia Forest Service and Loka pri Črnomlju Hunting Society. Shewas temporally sedated and equipped with GPS telemetry collar. In this way, we220

Sedated female bearKatja while researchersattach telemetry collar.This collar later enabledmonitoring of hermovement.Photo: Miha KrofelMap with movement ofradio-collared femalebear Katja. Yellow linesand circles indicateher movement inthe warmer part ofthe year, in blue isshown her travel to thewinter den in Croatiaand with pink herreturn after the wintersleep. Locations werecollected once perhour. Red X indicatelocation of capture andcollaring and orange Xshows the winter denwhere she spent winter.Prepared by:Miha Krofel NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 221

were able to precisely follow her movements for the next year (see picture). In this year, female bear Katja lived in the area covering 20,990 ha. Shespent most of the time in Bela krajina, especially in the forests around Mirnagora and Sredgora. She spent the entire autumn there, while in the winter she setout for Poljanska gora in southern direction, and eventually reached the KolpaRiver. She crossed it in a shallow spot between Vrt and Laze and continued to-wards the south to Croatia. There she entered a karst cave between Skrad andMoravice and spent 98 days in it. Later this den turned out to be somethingvery special, as in it we also found bones of cave bears (we of course visited theden in the summer, when the female bear was not in it). This meant that bearshave used this den for at least 20,000 years! In the spring, the female returned toSlovenia along the same path and again spent the entire warm part of the year inthe forests around Mirna gora.About the wolves in Bela krajina Brown Bear Photo: Andrej Hudoklin Wolves are social animals, living in groups called packs. These are in factfamilies, for they are led by the dominant par (father and mother of the pack),while all other members of the pack are usually their descendants (sons anddaughters). As wolves have no natural enemies that would control their num-bers, the self-regulation system developed through evolution. This system pre-vents overpopulation that would lead to extermination of their prey, as in thiscase also wolves would starve out. This self-regulation functions on the principle222

Telemetry data showed of territoriality. Each pack vigorously defends its territory against other wolves.that forests of Bela Consequently, only one pack lives in each territory, which has been clear-krajina represent a part ly demonstrated by several studies, during which wolves from different packsof the territory of wolf equipped with telemetry collars were monitored. The same was applied also inpack »Rog«. In 2012 Slovenia, and so we managed to ascertain that the size of territory of an individ-three wolves lived in ual pack measures around 40,000 ha. The area of Dinaric forests in Bela krajina,this pack, among them in which wolves are living, is thus not large enough for the entire territory, whichwas a young she-wolf means that the wolves from this area utilize the neighbouring areas as well.»Tia«.Photo: Miha Krofel According to the research carried out in last three years through SloWolf project, the area of Bela krajina represent a part of two wolf territories. The southern pack, called » Poljanska gora«, has its territory in the area of Poljanska gora and extends across the Kolpa River into Croatia. The northern pack, called »Rog«, has its territory in Kočevski Rog, i.e. in the area between Črnomelj, Brezovica, Kočevje and Dolenjske Toplice. According to the data gathered so far, the border between the two territories runs approximately along the Dobliče– Bistrica–Nemška Loka road. At the moment, the »Poljanska gora« pack is not well known, which is also due to the fact that it spends much time on the Croatian side. More data are available for the »Rog« pack. We caught one of the young wolf females from this pack in 2012 and monitored her, the same as the bear Katja, with the aid of GPS telemetry. Her name was Tia and she was a two-year-old female, which lived in the pack with her parents. When captured, she weighed 30 kg and most of the time, she frequented the surroundings of Koprivnik. Unfortunately, the moni- toring ended already after a couple of months, when Tia was shot at Rajhenav. NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 223

About the lynx in Bela krajina Eurasian lynx is a territorial species, the same as wolf. Each individualterritory is shared by one male and one female and potentially by their young. InSlovenia, the size of lynx territories measure around 20,000 ha. Today, the lynx is by far most endangered animal species in Bela krajina.According to the available data, after the death of a female in Kočevski Rog in2012 the area is inhabited only by a single lynx. A similar situation prevailselsewhere in Slovenia as well, for the number of lynxes is decreasing from yearto year. If no translocation of additional lynx from some other population iscarried out soon to prevent inbreeding, a great possibility exists that the lynxwill become totally extinct in Bela krajina – the same as in other parts of ourcountry.ReferencesKrofel, M. (2013). Slovenske velike mačke na robu izumrtja. Gea, 23/2: 54–56.Skrbišek, T., Jelenčič, M., Potočnik, H., Trontelj, P., Kos, I. (2008). Analiza medvedov, odvzetihiz narave, in genetsko-molekularne raziskave populacije medveda v Sloveniji. I. del. Varstvenagenetika in ocena številčnosti medveda 2007. Končno poročilo. Univerza v Ljubljani, Biotehniškafakulteta, Ljubljana. Available at: www.medvedi.si.SloWolf. (2013). Available at: www.volkovi.si.224

Eurasian lynx is the largest cat in Europe and is today the most endangeredanimal species in Bela krajina. Photo: Miha Krofel NATURAL HERITAGE OF BELA KRAJINA 225

Dinaric forest with rich Wild Garlic undergrowth.Photo: Denis Žitnik 226

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NATURAL HERITAGEOF BELA KRAJINA, SLOVENIAPublished by Bela krajina Museum Metlika (Belokranjski muzej Metlika)Museum represented by Andreja Brancelj BednaršekEdited by Mojmir Štangelj, Slovenian Museum of Natural History Mira Ivanovič, Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, Regional Unit Novo mestoEditorial Board Andreja Brancelj Bednaršek, Bela krajina Museum Metlika Mira Ivanovič, Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, Regional Unit Novo mesto Dr Miha Jeršek, Slovenian Museum of Natural History Prof Dr Tone Novak, Maribor University Prof Dr Dušan Plut, Ljubljana University Mojmir Štangelj, Slovenian Museum of Natural History Prof Dr Al Vrezec, Slovenian Museum of Natural HistoryPreface Andreja Brancelj BednaršekAuthors of the texts (in alphabetical order) Špela Ambrožič, Lilijana Bizjak Mali, Boris Bulog, Maja Cipot, Marjan Grah, Andrej Hudoklin, Mira Ivanovič, Martina Jaklič, Mojca Jernejc Kodrič, Miha Jeršek, Matjaž Jež, Andrej Kapla, Jernej Kavšek, Peter Kozel, Matija Križnar, Miha Krofel, Aleksandra Lešnik, Tomaž Mihelič, Karel Natek, Tone Novak, Dušan Plut, Katja Poboljšaj, Franc Pohleven, Slavko Polak, Aleksandar Popijač, Meta Povž, Primož Presetnik, Boštjan Rožič, Andrej Seliškar, Matej Simčič, Ignac Sivec, Boris Sket, Uroš Stepišnik, Ali Šalamun, Andreja Škedelj Petrič, Mojmir Štangelj, Melita Vamberger, Al Vrezec, Branko Vreš, Denis ŽitnikPhotos by (in alphabetical order) Gregor Aljančič, Marko Aljančič, Matjaž Bedjanič, Helena Bilandžija, Janez Božič, Boris Bulog, Branko Brečko, Zvone Butala, Maja Cipot, Tatjana Čelik, Domin Dalessi, Janko Dermastja, Janez Gregori, Arne Hodalič, Andrej Hudoklin, Gregor Hutar, Mira Ivanovič, Martina Jaklič, Branko Jalžič, Mojca Jernejc Kodrič, Miha Jeršek, Matjaž Jež, Mitja Kaligarič, Andrej Kapla, Jernej Kavšek, Dušan Klenovšek, Matija Križnar, Miha Krofel, Alenka Kryštufek, Vinko Kukman, Tomaž Mihelič, Ciril Mlinar, Tone Novak, Hrvoje Teo Oršanič, Dušan Pavlin, Mirko Perušek, Katja Poboljšaj, Franc Pohleven, Slavko Polak, Primož Presetnik, Marko Pršina, Andrej Seliškar, Matej Simčič, Ignac Sivec, Boris Sket, Uroš Strugar, Ali Šalamun, Andreja Škedelj Petrič, Mojmir Štangelj, Tomi Trilar, Tomislav Urh, Duša Vadnjal, Melita Vamberger, Jani Vidmar, Branko Vreš, Al Vrezec, Denis ŽitnikTranslation into English Henrik CigličDrawings Matija KrižnarDesign and layout Jurij Kocuvan, Studio 300Printed by Littera PictaCirculation 500 copies





CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 502.2(497.434)(083.824)       NATURAL heritage of Bela krajina, Slovenia / [authors of the texts Špela Ambrožič …[et al.] ; edited by Mojmir Štangelj, Mira Ivanovič ; preface Andreja Brancelj Bednaršek ;photos by Gregor Aljančič … [et al.] ; translation into English Henrik Ciglič ;drawings Matija Križnar]. - Metlika : Belokranjski muzej, 2014 ISBN 978-961-6652-12-4 1. Ambrožič, Špela, 1977- 2. Štangelj, Mojmir 276829184