Brown bear feeding habits in a poor mast year where supplemental feeding occurs

The diet of free-ranging bears is an important dimension regarding their ecology, affecting behavior, population structure, and relation with humans. In Croatia, there has been no recent study on the natural food habits brown (Ursus arctos) or influence artificial feeding sites diet. During 2017, we collected 53 bear stomachs from in 2 regions Croatia—Gorski Kotar Lika—to assess Plants—Allium ursinum, Poaceae family, Cornus mas, berries (i.e., Prunus avium, Rubus plicatus), beechnuts (Fagus spp.)—and various plant parts dry leaves, buds, conifer needles, twigs), as well mushrooms, made up 80% percentage volume (%V) all consumed items. Corn (Zea mays) 37% bears' (%V), whereas 20% was meat 14% pome fruits. Scavenged preyed animal species, such wild boar (Sus scrofa), horse (Equus caballus), domestic pig (S. scrofa domesticus), cattle (Bos taurus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), small mammals comprised >66% %FO (frequency occurrence), but only %V. Our results showed that resources livestock horses, cattle, pigs, corn) found at supplemental were more frequently chosen by than a year characterized almost beechnut crop. subadult obtained most sites. These patterns suggested may focus to find years when sources are depleted, although this should be tested using availability data several years.