Wildlife of the Balkans

Balkan Lynx

Documentary about Balkan nature

The Balkans – the very name rings with centuries of almost uninterrupted warfare – from the days of the Crusades and the Ottoman Empire, to more recent times and more recent conflicts. The Balkans are perhaps the least known part of Europe, and in a strange paradox that may well have been its saviour. The Balkans have some of the most pristine habitats that remain in Europe today. And where there is untouched habitat, the wildlife still survives. This film looks at the place, the landscape and the living creatures that have lived their lives unchanged for centuries. And now that the wars have ceased, there is great hope that these last wilderness areas of Europe will continue to survive with little disturbance, and the fragile balance of nature will remain unchanged. As well as observing the environment, WILD BALKANS is a film of great hope for the future of one of Europe’s least disturbed regions

Wild Balkans – Introduction – Wildlife of the Balkan Peninsula (Full video from PBS )

The Balkan Peninsula is notorious for being one of the great battlegrounds of history. And yet, it possesses another side unknown to many, where ancient forests and vast wetlands harbor pristine wilderness, and sheer cliff walls and desolate plateaus preserve a seemingly unchanged past. In Croatia’s Kopacki Rit Wetlands, land mines keep people away, but enable native wildlife to thrive. Further south, Montenegro’s Tara River carves through Europe’s longest and deepest canyon, and neighboring forests provide refuge to rare animals such as the Balkan Lynx. To the east, millions of birds flock to the Danube Delta to feast on swarms of mosquitoes. And at the west of the Balkans is Skadar Lake, a remarkable landscape of peaks and water.

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