Brown bears are omnivores — they eat both plants and animals, but plant food makes up most of their diet. In summer and autumn they eat enormous amounts of fruit, berries, nuts and roots to build up a thick layer of fat under their skin. This fat will keep them warm and fed during winter, when they find a sheltered den and sleep for months at a time.
A sleeping bear in winter is not quite the same as hibernation in smaller animals. A bear's body temperature drops only slightly and it can wake up if disturbed. Mother bears actually give birth to their tiny cubs during winter sleep — the cubs are born blind and about the size of a squirrel, and by the time they emerge from the den in spring they have grown considerably.
Bears have an extraordinary sense of smell — much better than any dog. Scientists estimate a bear can smell something up to 20 kilometres away under the right conditions. This super-powered nose helps them find food, avoid danger and communicate with other bears through scent markings left on trees.
In Kosovo, bears live mainly in the Sharr Mountains and the forests near the Albanian border. They are shy animals that go to great lengths to avoid humans. Seeing one in the wild is a rare and exciting event — most people who walk in bear country never encounter one face to face.