For the first time we released red deer outside our area

This autumn, in the areas of Velinac, Bok – Veliki Vrh, and Pazarišta, we released 12 does and three stags, continuing our efforts to reintroduce animals on Velebit. This time, however, outside our rewilding zone.

Several factors, including climate change, hunting pressure, traffic accidents, and others, affect the population of the red deer in the area. Due to the decreased population, there is a need for additional reintroductions, which we were delighted to carry out this year as well.

One of the key goals of the Rewilding Velebit Foundation, perhaps the most important one, is to establish good relationships with hunting leaseholders, especially those bordering rewilding areas, as well as with all those located in the Velebit and Lika regions. The Foundation sees such hunting leaseholders as partners, and to date, we have established partnerships with 12 of them.

Red deer in three new areas

Velinac, Bok – Veliki Vrh, and Pazarišta are neighboring areas we have memorandums of understanding signed with. To positively and directly influence the red deer population outside our rewilding grounds, we released 15 red deer (Cervus elaphus) in these hunting areas this year—the first time we have released animals outside our designated areas. Red deer came from northern Croatia.

Marija Krnjajić, Director of the Rewilding Velebit Foundation, emphasizes the importance of collaboration with the managers of neighboring areas in Velebit: “We agree on the need to increase the population of red deer in line with the capacities of the hunting grounds and habitats, to work on further breeding and protection of deer, and to enhance and stabilize the population. I am pleased to announce that we have released a total of 15 deer.”

Blaž Vukelić, President of the Hunting Association Orao Kosinj, which manages the Bok – Veliki Vrh hunting ground, highlights the significance of this release, as red deer have only recently and sporadically started appearing in their area: “With the help of these released individuals, we hope the red deer will establish and expand in our region.” Vukelić further notes that Orao Kosinj is „a small association with a modest hunting ground, making such donations particularly valuable“. As they do not engage in commercial hunting, their association primarily serves as a „platform for camaraderie“.

65 red deer so far released

Releasing deer has been a longstanding activity for us. Including this autumn, we have released 65 red deer so far. This initiative not only strengthens the species’ population but also contributes to maintaining grasslands, which are crucial for biodiversity on Velebit and help mitigate the effects of potential wildfires. Moreover, the new individuals aid in restoring trophic chains.

As in previous years, this year’s deer are equipped with GPS collars, allowing us to monitor their movements, determine the areas they occupy, and gain insights into their seasonal migrations. These data are invaluable for learning more about the animals’ habits, which could inform better wildlife management practices.

Benefit for nature and humans

The newly introduced deer also support the shift towards non-exploitative economic activities on Velebit, such as wildlife watching in our rewilding areas and beyond. This opens up a range of potential economic opportunities for the Velebit region. In addition to our existing five wildlife-watching hides, over the past year, we assisted a neighboring hunting leaseholder in establishing a wildlife-watching hide in their hunting area. Part of their hunting ground has been set aside exclusively for wildlife observation, reducing hunting pressure and creating an entirely new economic activity in an additional area.

Given the current state of wildlife populations on Velebit, this reintroduction activity will continue both within and potentially outside our areas…

Text: Kruno Bošnjaković